PITTSBURGH -- Jordan Wicks’ second time pitching at PNC Park wasn’t nearly as joyous as when he made his MLB debut along the banks of the Allegheny River.
The left-hander allowed five runs in the first inning of his season debut on Tuesday night as the Pirates jumped to the early lead and rolled to a 12-1 victory. The loss extended the Cubs’ losing streak to 10 games. In all, Wicks was charged with eight runs in 4 1/3 innings as he allowed nine hits, struck out five and walked one.
The Cubs recalled Wicks from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday to help bolster an injury-ravaged rotation. But the Pirates struck quickly in the first, with Bryan Reynolds hitting a two-run double and rookie Esmerlyn Valdez capping the inning with a two-run home run.
Wicks beat the Pirates in his debut on Aug. 26, 2023.
The Cubs have lost 10 games in a row for the first time since June 2022. What makes the skid especially surprising is that Chicago has already had two 10-game winning streaks this season.
The 2017 Dodgers are the only other team in MLB history with two 10-game winning streaks and one 10-game losing streak in the same season, according to Elias.
Alex Bregman had two of the Cubs’ eight hits on Tuesday. However, Chicago finished 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners.