PITTSBURGH -- A national holiday, a change of venue and a strong start by Ben Brown could not change the Cubs’ fortunes on Monday afternoon.
Light-hitting Henry Davis’ home run in the seventh inning lifted the Pirates to a 2-1 victory and sent the Cubs to their ninth straight loss in a Memorial Day matinee at PNC Park.
Monday also marked the start of a seven-game road trip that includes four games against the Pirates and three games vs. the Cardinals.
Davis’ fourth homer of the season came off Trent Thornton, who had retired the first two batters in the seventh, and snapped a 1-1 tie. Davis entered the day with a .139 batting average.
Brown was outstanding, allowing one run on four hits and two walks in a season-high six innings, while striking out seven. His ERA is 1.89 in four starts since being moved from the bullpen to the injury-riddled rotation.
Michael Busch hit a solo home run to center field with two outs in the fifth inning off Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski to pull the Cubs into a 1-1 tie. All six of Busch’s homers have come since April 21 after he led the team with 34 long balls last season.