Game Twelve – Cubs 5, Pirates 2
WP – Jake Arrieta (2-1) LP – Arquimedes Caminero (0-1) Save – None
Kris Bryant drove in three runs and scored a fourth on a Little League Home Run. Jorge Soler had four hits and started both rallies. And Jake Arrieta settled in after the first inning as the Cubs topped the Pirates on Monday night in the Steel City.
After a rather rough first inning, Jake Arrieta retired 16 in a row at one point and 20 of the last 22 batters he faced. Arrieta did not fool the Pirates in the opening frame. The Pirates put a run on the board on three straight hits. Arrieta escaped the first inning with allowing only one run and shut the Pirates down the other six innings he was on the mound.
Jake Arrieta set a career milestone in the seventh inning. Arrieta caught Francisco Cervelli looking for his seventh strikeout of the night and the 500th strikeout of his career.
Jake Arrieta turned the game over to the bullpen after allowing one run on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Arrieta threw 100 pitches, 69 for strikes, in seven innings.
Pedro Strop set down all three batters he faced in the eighth. And with the Cubs up by four runs in the ninth, Joe Maddon sent Zac Rosscup in to pick up the 27th out. Rosscup gave up a solo homer to Starling Marte that accounted for the Pirates second run and fifth hit of the game.
Cubs’ pitching gave up two runs on five hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts.
The Cubs kept the pressure on A.J. Burnett through the first four innings, but couldn’t push across a run. The Pirates turned double plays that ended both the third and fourth innings.
Jorge Soler (4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored) singled to right with two outs in the fifth. A.J. Burnett hit Anthony Rizzo (2-for-3 with a walk, a HBP and a run scored) and Kris Bryant stepped in with runners on first and second with two down.
Kris Bryant (3-for-4 with a double, three RBI, a walk and a run scored) drove a 3-2 pitch into right. Soler scored and tied the game at one. With runners on first and second and two down, Miguel Montero (1-for-4 with a walk) singled to left. Rizzo scored but Clint Hurdle asked for a review and the call was overturned.
Joe Maddon then asked the umps to review the play to see if Cervelli was blocking the plate. Replays showed Rizzo did not have a lane, but the call was not reversed. And the inning ended tied at one.
Clint Hurdle went to his pen for the seventh inning. And Jorge Soler started what was a rather wild chain of events.
Jorge Soler turned on a 100 mph fastball from Arquimedes Caminero. Soler doubled to left and held when Rizzo worked a walk. Bryant stepped in with two on, two down and the game tied at one.
Kris Bryant drove a 2-0 pitch from Caminero to deep left center. The ball hit off the base of the wall. Soler scored and Rizzo was right behind him. Rizzo scored and the Cubs took a 3-1 lead. Bryant advanced to third on the throw to the plate and started for the home when the ball got away from Cervelli. Bryant stopped, went back toward third and the Pirates appeared to have him in a rundown. Bryant broke for the plate, Cervelli dropped the throw from Harrison and Bryant scored … 4-1 Cubs. Montero flied out to left to end the inning.
The Cubs tacked onto the lead in the eighth. Chris Denorfia hit for Chris Coghlan and singled to left with one out. Denorfia advanced to second when Welington Castillo grounded out to short. Jonathan Herrera (1-for-4 with a RBI and a stolen base) singled to right and plated Denorfia with the Cubs fifth and final run.
Kris Bryant and Jorge Soler set new personal highs on Monday night. Soler collected four hits for the first time and Monday was Bryant’s first three hit and three RBI game.
The Cubs two, three and four hitters of Jorge Soler, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant were 9-for-12 with two doubles, two walks, three RBI, four runs scored and a HBP.
The Cubs scored five runs on 14 hits with three walks, a HBP and three strikeouts.
Starlin Castro (2-for-4) had a tremendous game in the field and collected two more hits on Monday night. Castro’s made a diving stop and threw out Josh Harrison leading off the first inning. If Castro doesn’t make that play, Arrieta’s night could have been a lot different.
It was a wild night in Pittsburgh that was delayed by rain for 28 minutes. There was an unfortunate accident in the second inning when a fan was hit in the back of the head by a Starlin Castro foul ball. The fan was taken to the hospital and play resumed after a 23 minute delay. The Pirates issued a statement on the incident after the game indicating the fan was okay when she left the park.
Travis Wood is scheduled to face Francisco Liriano in game two of four on Tuesday night.