Pirates mix frustration with perspective after missing out on sweep of Cubs

CHICAGO -- The Pirates have certainly lost games to the Cubs at Wrigley Field before. Painful ones, too.

Yet while Sunday’s outcome might’ve looked similar, it felt different for a club with raised expectations.

Dropping a 7-6 decision stung, in part because the Pirates led 5-0 and 6-3. But also because of how it unfolded.

Pitchers issued seven walks. Justin Lawrence struggled when trying to navigate the eighth inning. And a Bryan Reynolds error proved costly.

The Pirates had a rare Chicago sweep of the Cubs in their grasp, something they haven’t done in this ballpark since 2017, and they couldn’t reel it in.

Frustration was felt in the clubhouse postgame. However, the Pirates (9-6) also tried to maintain some sense of perspective, reminding themselves that they did win a road series against a quality opponent.

“If we continue this way and we win two of three for the rest of the year, I think we’re gonna be in a pretty good spot,” Brandon Lowe said. “It’s tough because there are games that the other team wins and games we lose. Everybody in here feels we lost this one. Those days will happen, but we still won a series in a tough place to play.

Let’s get right to some observations …

1. There are two ways of looking at Sunday’s loss.

On one hand, it’s frustrating because the Pirates made preventable mistakes, things that’ve cost them earlier this season with walks and defensive problems in the outfield.

The inverse of that, however, is they hit three home runs — Lowe with a grand slam among his two, plus another for Oneil Cruz — and scored a half-dozen runs.

Clean some stuff up, and that should play.

“Especially for a lot of our young guys, coming into Wrigley for the first time, the energy, the crowd … there aren’t many places you feel like that,” manager Don Kelly said. “It’s like it was on Opening Day in Pittsburgh. For our young players to come in and get that experience and win a series here is huge for us going forward, especially those first two games.

“Would have been nice to get this one, too. But taking two of three from the Cubs at Wrigley, really proud of the way we played.”

2. The key action came in the eighth. With Dennis Santana, Isaac Mattson and Yohan Ramirez seemingly unavailable, Kelly was saving Gregory Soto for a save situation in the ninth and turned to Lawrence to set him up.

After struggling with his command Wednesday against the Padres, Lawrence dealt with similar problems Sunday, walking two of the first four hitters he faced. The fifth, pinch-hitter Michael Busch, lofted a single into shallow left-center.

Another problem arrived when Reynolds threw wildly toward Konnor Griffin, which allowed Seiya Suzuki to score.

“Just got caught in between where I want to throw it,” Reynolds said. “Tried to stop it. Came out.”

3. Focusing on Lawrence, he took this one harder than anyone. Considered one of their top four relievers before the season, Lawrence’s ERA sits at 9.82. He’s walked five while allowing three homers in 7 1/3 innings.

Kelly said Lawrence was pressing. That’s part of it. Lawrence is also beating himself up pretty hard, too.

“We're playing really good baseball right now, and it’s not the first time I’ve kind of messed up our momentum,” Lawrence said.

“I get it, it's early. But if I do what I'm supposed to be doing, I think our record's even better. Just letting guys down right now.”

4. Busch tied the game. Carson Kelly won it with a single to center when the Cubs rallied against Jose Urquidy in the ninth, which included a double, single and a walk to set the table.

The Pirates ran out of pitching trying to cover leverage innings. They’re also well-aware that they’re handing out too many free passes — 73, tied for fifth-most in MLB.

5. On a positive note, Lowe had himself a game, demolishing a middle-middle cutter from Jameson Taillon for a grand slam in the second, then hitting a four-seamer in about the same spot 444 feet for a 6-2 lead in the fifth.

Lowe had been 4-for-31 prior to Sunday’s game.

“Just one of those things I feel like in baseball, you wake up and some days you don’t know which end of the bat to use,” Lowe said. “Then other days, a spark ignites in your head and you’re like, ‘Oh, why haven’t I been doing this the whole time?’

“I felt really good today and look to keep it rolling.”

6. Better job by Bubba Chandler attacking the zone. He started and allowed three earned runs over 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out four. Two of three runs came on solo home runs, the other a sacrifice fly.

Tough to celebrate because of how this one ended, but it was far better than his last start.

7. Oneil Cruz’s first inning home run extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games, matching what he did Aug. 20-31, 2024. It’s the longest active streak in MLB.

Cruz sat on a 1-1 changeup from Taillon that was located middle-away, pummeling it 422 feet at 111 mph over the center-field wall for his fifth of the season.

8. Sneaky important part of this one was the Pirates not adding to their lead. They had just one hit and three baserunners over the final four innings, striking out seven times.

9. Rings hollow now because the loss stings — and it should — but the Pirates have won consecutive series against NL Central opponents for the first time since 2018, when they took three of four against the Reds and two of three at the Cubs.

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.