PITTSBURGH -- Ian Happ has always had success playing in the city in which he grew up.
Happ had another big night at PNC Park on Wednesday, and it couldn’t have come at a more ideal time for the Cubs.
The left fielder drove in five runs as Chicago ended its 10-game losing streak with a 10-4 victory over the Pirates. Happ’s two-run single in the first inning opened the scoring, but his big blow was a three-run home run in the seventh inning off Yohan Ramírez (2-2) that broke a 4-4 tie and ignited a six-run frame.
Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto added a two-run homer in the seventh and Michael Busch singled in the final run of the frame. That helped fuel the Cubs’ first win since May 15.
Happ entered the game with a .212 batting average. Manager Craig Counsell sat Happ last Saturday and Sunday against the Astros with the hope that the four-time Gold Glove Award winner could clear his head. However, Happ went just 1-for-7 in the first two games of the four-game series before busting out Wednesday.
Happ has a .300 career batting average in Pittsburgh and has reached base in 40 consecutive games at PNC Park, the longest streak for any MLB hitter.
“It’s the park, and I’m so comfortable in it. It’s home,” said Happ, who grew up in the suburb of Mt. Lebanon. “I grew up going to games in this ballpark. I just have a good feeling when I’m here. That’s pretty much it.”
Pirates manager Don Kelly also grew up in Mt. Lebanon, but Happ hasn’t been very neighborly to him.
“Happ has killed us,” Kelly said.
Happ was one of five Cubs with two hits Wednesday night, along with Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, Carson Kelly and Dansby Swanson. The Cubs had a total of 14 hits.
“It was a good team win,” Counsell said. “We needed it. The guys in the room needed it. A lot of guys had big hits, which has been a real struggle for us. You can't put too much into one game, but we can celebrate for 25 minutes and then get ready for tomorrow’s game.”
Jacob Webb (1-1) struck out the side in order in the sixth inning to get the win.
The Cubs burst to a 3-0 lead by the second inning. After Happ plated two in the first, Hoerner hit an RBI single in the second.
However, starting pitcher Jameson Taillon gave up the lead in the third when Brandon Lowe hit a game-tying three-run home run into the right-field stands.
The Cubs went back ahead, 4-3, in the fourth inning when Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit consecutive doubles with two outs. However, the Pirates used another home run to tie it again in the bottom of the fourth when Konnor Griffin connected for a solo shot.
Taillon lasted five innings and did not factor in the decision after losing his three previous starts. The veteran right-hander, who was the Pirates’ first-round Draft pick in 2010, allowed four runs and five hits while striking out four and walking two.
“Those 10 losses in a row are still raw,” Taillon said when asked about the Cubs ending the losing streak. “But it feels good to get this one. It had reached the point where we needed to put a foot down, and we did.”