CHICAGO _ By the time Andrew McCutchen's three-run home run crashed into the left-field bleachers on a windy Saturday at Wrigley Field, the ballpark was silent. The Chicago Cubs, far in front since the first inning, found themselves trailing by two after the visitors' five-run seventh.
Two innings later, after Kris Bryant's second homer of the game, closer Tony Watson snuffed out the Cubs' comeback by striking out Addison Russell to end the game.
Backed by some suspect defense early, right-hander Tyler Glasnow put the Pirates in an early hole by allowing six runs, four earned, in five innings. The offense climbed out. McCutchen's homer _ the Pirates' fourth and final one of the day _ secured an 8-7 come-from-behind win.
The Pirates improved to 5-6. On Sunday, they will start right-hander Jameson Taillon opposite Cubs lefty Jon Lester in search of their first sweep at Wrigley Field since Sept. 5-7, 2014.
The top of the Pirates lineup did the damage. Leadoff man Adam Frazier tripled and added an RBI single. Starling Marte homered, walked, singled and stole a base. And McCutchen was the difference. His 177th homer moved him past Barry Bonds for fourth on the Pirates' all-time home run list. He trails Willie Stargell (475), Ralph Kiner (301) and Roberto Clemente (240).
Glasnow's start in Chicago was a marked improvement from his season debut Monday, when he recorded only five outs, allowing five runs on five walks and four hits. On Saturday, he gave up six hits, walked two and struck out seven. He threw a career-high 99 pitches, mixing them well. His first three-ball count came in the third inning, and both his walks were in the fifth.
Before the game, manager Clint Hurdle said he did not plan to have Glasnow on a short leash. It depended how the game developed, he said. The Pirates need length from their starting pitchers, and they've gotten it from the other starters, but Glasnow needed backup in his first start, when lefty Wade LeBlanc entered in the second and carried 5? innings in relief.
"To go and have to get an early hook is not how we've drawn it up in the game plan," Hurdle said three hours before the first pitch. "I'd like to see him go out there and pitch and earn it."
Glasnow served up a cycle to Cubs hitters in the first, but his defense also betrayed him.
The leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber doubled weakly down the left-field line against the shift. The wind, blowing at 24 mph to straightaway center field, aided Bryant's home run, but it didn't need help. It left the bat at 105 mph, according to Statcast, and had a projected distance of 451 feet.
Cervelli, battling a head cold, bounced out to the mound to calm Glasnow. The starter whiffed Anthony Rizzo with a changeup. He then induced a weak grounder by Ben Zobrist, but backup shortstop Adam Frazier bobbled it and earned an error. Russell tripled to the right-center gap, past a diving McCutchen, and Jason Heyward drove him in for a 4-0 lead.
Glasnow's second and fourth innings were identical, and perfect. In both frames, he struck out Javier Baez on curves, struck out Schwarber with off-speed stuff and got Bryant to ground out.
Sandwiched in between, the third inning was messy. Rizzo hit a leadoff double. Zobrist reached on a strikeout-passed ball. Russell struck again, scoring two with a double to left-center field.
The Pirates pecked away _ Cervelli and Marte hit solo homers, and Frazier's triple led to another run _ but the score was 6-3 in the Cubs' favor entering the seventh. With one away, Josh Harrison homered off left-hander Brian Duensing. Alen Hanson, a late sub for Gregory Polanco (right groin), singled and stole second, scoring on Frazier's two-out single.
Marte walked, which he rarely does, and McCutchen stepped in against right-hander Pedro Strop. He fell behind 0-2, watched two balls and slammed a slider to left field.
The Pirates had five homers in their first 10 games of the season, and four Saturday.
Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta took a no-decision. He allowed three runs in 52/3 innings. In his past four starts against the Pirates, Arrieta has allowed 22 earned runs in 23 innings.
The Pirates' bullpen closed the door, with the help of a fine running catch from McCutchen in the seventh. Reliever Trevor Williams handled the sixth, Juan Nicasio the seventh and Daniel Hudson the eighth. Watson notched his fourth save, but not before Bryant provided the late drama with a solo shot that landed in the basket above the center-field wall.
