Skid snapped, Pirates pursue series victory over Cubs
Jack Suwinski belted a ninth-inning solo home run that lifted Pittsburgh to a 3-2 victory in the series opener. His third home run of the season was a big hit for the struggling outfielder who entered the contest hitting .118 through 39 games and 93 at-bats.
That average is not indicative of how the Chicago native, who led the Pirates with 26 homers in 2023, has played of late. Pirates manager Don Kelly called the game-winning hit "sick," not just because Suwinski, who grew up a White Sox fan, hit it against the Cubs but also because the left-handed hitter went to the opposite field in left-center.
"Just so many things adding up, and a just really cool moment for him," Kelly said. "The hard work is paying off, and he's been having really good at-bats. That's just, really, really awesome."
On Saturday, the Pirates will send rookie righty Mike Burrows (1-4, 4.66 ERA) to the mound and hope he can match the efforts of fellow rookie Braxton Ashcraft. In just his third career start, Ashcraft went a season-long five innings and struck out four while keeping the Cubs to three hits and a run on Friday.
Burrows was effective when he faced the host Cubs on June 14. He tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run, five-hit ball but ended up with a no-decision in Pittsburgh's 2-1 loss. His eight strikeouts from that day remain his career high.
The Cubs, meanwhile, are hoping to avoid losing a fourth straight series, though they might have pulled out a victory on Friday if not for several baserunning mishaps.
Pirates catcher Henry Davis caught Ian Happ trying to steal second to end the eighth inning with Pete Crow-Armstrong at the plate. Crow-Armstrong singled in the ninth as part of a 3-for-3 day, but he, too, was thrown out by the top pick in the 2021 draft when he slid past the base while trying to swipe second.
Crow-Armstrong was also thrown out at second to end the fourth inning when he tried to stretch his RBI single into a double.
Chicago manager Craig Counsell said after the game he considers Crow-Armstrong one of the top base stealers in the game. The Cubs star outfielder is fourth in the National League with 30 steals on 36 tries. Counsell also expressed no problems with Crow-Armstrong trying to get in scoring position late in a one-run game.
"I think that's it's a risk, of course, and that's what happens with a risk, unfortunately, but I think we'll always try to be aggressive in that situation," the manager said.
Shota Imanaga (8-5, 3.19) will get the start for the Cubs on Friday. The second-year left-hander is 2-0 and has not allowed a run in three starts against the Pirates. He has posted 17 strikeouts against 10 hits and four walks over 19 innings vs. Pittsburgh.
In his only appearance against the Pirates this season, Imanaga got a win on April 29 at Pittsburgh. He allowed six hits and one walk while striking out three in five-plus innings during a 9-0 victory.
The Saturday game will be the fifth between the teams this season in Chicago. The first four have been pitchers' duels with scores of either 3-2 or 2-1. Two of the contests went 10 innings.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Furious college football coach takes aim at ESPN and slams 'rigged' rankings in latest brutal takedown
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee has not been shy about speaking out against anything that he feels is unloaded on his team unfairly, with ESPN being his most-recent target. Being at the head of the upstart Mustangs, who were elevated to the Power Four as part of the Atlantic Coast Conference's expansion, made the College Football Playoff last year. Yet, ESPN's Football Power Index ranked SMU as the No 19 team in the country entering the season, while also dropping league powerhouses Clemson and Miami to Nos 16 and 17 overall, the three highest teams from the ACC. The movement to downgrade the ACC against the rest of college football led to Lashlee speaking out on social media. 'Because the whole thing is rigged,' the Mustangs head coach said. Clemson is the highest-ranked team in the FPI not playing in the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten Conference, or Notre Dame. The index has downgraded the rankings for ACC teams, including SMU coming in at No 19 The FPI was created by ESPN to be a 'measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season.' Essentially, it means based on how strong a team is now against what their maximum strength will be with its schedule. It shows the FPI is not high on the ACC, and even less so about the Big 12. Texas, Georgia, and Alabama hold the top three spots in the index, with all three playing in the SEC. The 42-year-old Lashlee is expected to have SMU competing for a CFP place again in 2025, having led the Mustangs to back-to-back 11-win seasons. That chip on his shoulder, which led to the call-out of ESPN is sure to come up again throughout the college football season, especially if the Mustangs out-perform expectations for a third consecutive year.
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Reports: Alabama RB Jam Miller to miss opener vs. Florida State
August 17 - Alabama running back Jam Miller is expected to sit out the team's season opener at Florida State on Aug. 30 after undergoing a procedure to treat an upper-body injury, multiple media outlets reported Sunday. Miller sustained the injury during a scrimmage on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Coach Kalen DeBoer confirmed Miller went in for the procedure on Saturday evening. "Jam should recover fully with a timetable for his return yet to be determined," he said in a statement issued Sunday. Miller, a senior, had 145 carries for 668 yards and seven touchdowns last season for No. 8 Alabama. He also had 16 catches for 155 yards and a score. Richard Young and Daniel Hill as well as Louisiana transfer Dre Washington likely will handle the rushing duties against the Seminoles, who are unranked in the Associated Press preseason Top 25. The Crimson Tide went 9-4 in 2024. The Seminoles were 2-10. --Field Level Media
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Jim Harbaugh won't talk about Michigan sign-stealing penalties
August 17 - Jim Harbaugh met with reporters late Saturday and refused to discuss the punishment received by his former program, Michigan. "Like I said to you last year, not engaging," the Los Angeles Chargers coach said after his team's final-seconds loss to the Rams in a preseason game in Inglewood, Calif. "I'm done engaging." Harbaugh led the Wolverines to an undefeated season and the College Football Playoff championship in 2023, but the program was plagued by accusations of stealing signs from opposing teams between 2021-23 under the guidance of recruiting analyst Connor Stalions. In releasing its findings publicly on Friday, the NCAA said that "over the course of three seasons, the Michigan football program committed violations involving an off-campus, in-person scouting scheme, impermissible recruiting inducements and communications, head coach responsibility rules, individuals' failures to cooperate and Michigan's failure to monitor." The NCAA's punishments included a fine based on Big Ten revenues, and that could add up to a fine of $20 million to $30 million, in addition to other financial penalties. The NCAA also issued a 10-year show cause order for Harbaugh, 61, which would impede his chances of coaching in college again if he wanted to. The Chargers hired Harbaugh as their head coach following the Wolverines' title game. Michigan said it is appealing the NCAA ruling. --Field Level Media
