CHICAGO (AP) Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Friday.
The Pirates loaded the bases in the 10th on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ infield single and a walk to Henry Davis. Kiner-Falefa then drove in Adam Frazier with a flyball to left off Drew Pomeranz (2-1).
Kiner-Falefa also threw out Ian Happ when he attempted to score from first on Kyle Tucker’s two-out double in the fifth inning.
Dennis Santana (2-1) got five outs for the win, and David Bednar worked a perfect 10th for his 10th save.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes struck out five in five scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and walked two while throwing 95 pitches, 60 for strikes.
Skenes was matched by Cade Horton, who permitted three hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings for the NL Central leaders.
Each team scored in the eighth.
The Pirates jumped in front when Davis scored on Oneil Cruz’s chopper near the mound. Reliever Brad Keller made an errant throw to the plate.
The Cubs put runners on second and third with one out in the bottom half, and Dansby Swanson drove in Kyle Tucker when he bounced to Kiner-Falefa at shortstop for a fielder’s choice.
Santana worked a perfect ninth before Bednar retired the side in order in the 10th.
Skenes has allowed a total of five earned runs in 47 1/3 innings over his last seven starts. But he has just one win in that stretch.
The series continues Saturday afternoon when Pirates right-hander Mike Burrows (1-1, 5.00 ERA) faces lefty Matthew Boyd (5-3, 2.89 ERA).
—
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
#1
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O. Cruz CF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .225 |
| A. McCutchen DH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .258 |
| B. Reynolds RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .229 |
| S. Horwitz 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .214 |
| J. Triolo PR-1B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .187 |
| N. Gonzales 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .222 |
| A. Frazier LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .259 |
| K. Hayes 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .232 |
| H. Davis C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .202 |
| I. Kiner-Falefa SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .294 |
| HITTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. Happ LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .252 |
| K. Tucker DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .273 |
| S. Suzuki RF | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .269 |
| P. Crow-Armstrong CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .271 |
| D. Swanson SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .238 |
| M. Busch 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .264 |
| N. Hoerner 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .284 |
| M. Shaw 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .232 |
| R. McGuire C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .267 |
| J. Berti PR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .224 |
- 2B – B. Reynolds (10), H. Davis (3)
- SF – I. Kiner-Falefa
- SH – I. Kiner-Falefa (2)
- RBI – O. Cruz (30), I. Kiner-Falefa (15)
- Runners left in scoring position, 2-Out – S. Horwitz 2 (2), A. Frazier
- 2B – K. Tucker (13), M. Busch (12)
- RBI – D. Swanson (36)
- Runners left in scoring position, 2-Out – S. Suzuki 2 (2), M. Busch, N. Hoerner
- SB – O. Cruz (25), A. Frazier (5), K. Hayes (9)
- CS – A. Frazier (5)
- SB – P. Crow-Armstrong (22)
- Outfield Assist – O. Cruz
- DP – (Hayes-Gonzales-Horwitz)
- DP – 2 (Shaw-Hoerner-Busch; Pomeranz-Swanson-Busch)
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. Skenes | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1.78 |
| C. Mlodzinski | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.40 |
| C. Ferguson(H, 9) | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.34 |
| D. Santana(W, 2-1) (BS, 1) | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.80 |
| D. Bednar(S, 10) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.42 |
| PITCHERS | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Horton | 5.2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3.47 |
| C. Thielbar | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.82 |
| R. Brasier | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.25 |
| B. Keller | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.16 |
| D. Palencia | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.80 |
| D. Pomeranz(L, 2-1) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
- Pitches-Strikes – P. Skenes 95-60, C. Mlodzinski 25-19, C. Ferguson 12-6, D. Santana 15-12, D. Bednar 13-11
- Ground Balls-Fly Balls – P. Skenes 6-5, C. Mlodzinski 2-2, C. Ferguson 1-0, D. Santana 3-1, D. Bednar 2-0
- Batters Faced – P. Skenes 20, C. Mlodzinski 8, C. Ferguson 3, D. Santana 5, D. Bednar 3
- Pitches-Strikes – C. Horton 76-46, C. Thielbar 2-2, R. Brasier 15-9, B. Keller 17-10, D. Palencia 12-7, D. Pomeranz 18-10
- Ground Balls-Fly Balls – C. Horton 10-4, C. Thielbar 1-0, R. Brasier 1-0, B. Keller 3-0, D. Palencia 1-0, D. Pomeranz 2-0
- Batters Faced – C. Horton 21, C. Thielbar, R. Brasier 3, B. Keller 5, D. Palencia 3, D. Pomeranz 4