Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates
· Major League Baseball
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Esmerlyn Valdez's homer caps five-run first, Pirates send skidding Cubs to 10th straight loss 12-1
The rookie became the seventh player in Pirates’ history to hit two home runs within the first four games of his major league career and the first since Austin Meadows in 2018.
The Cubs are just the second team in major league history to have two 10-game winning streaks and one 10-game losing streak in the same season, joining the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
It is also the Cubs’ longest losing streak since 2022.
Braxton Ashcraft (4-3) allowed one run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings while striking out five and walking one. He is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA in five starts in May.
Valdez’s homer gave the Pirates a 5-0 lead after Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run double earlier in the first off Jordan Wicks (0-1), who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday to bolster an injury-depleted rotation. Wicks was rocked for eight runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Spencer Horwitz also homered for the Pirates, who won their third consecutive game. Oneil Cruz had three hits and Brandon Lowe, Reynolds, Nick Gonzales and Horwitz added two each. Valdez drove in three runs.
Konnor Griffin, a 20-year-old rookie shortstop, became the youngest leadoff hitter for the Pirates since 1952. He was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.
The Cubs’ Alex Bregman and Carson Kelly had two hits each. Chicago went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners.
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How can I watch Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates?
- TV Channel: Cubs at Pirates 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.TV.
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Scoring Summary
 |
9th Inning | Busch flied out to center. |
|
9th Inning | Hoerner grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Swanson to second, Kelly out at third. |
|
9th Inning | Alcántara struck out looking. |
|
9th Inning | Swanson walked, Kelly to second. |
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9th Inning | Kelly singled to left. |
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9th Inning | Santana relieved Bidois |
Statistics
 CHC |
 PIT |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Games Played | 1 |
| 1 | Team Games Played | 1 |
| 2 | Hit By Pitch | 1 |
| 13 | Ground Balls | 12 |
| 9 | Strikeouts | 8 |
| 1 | Runs Batted In | 11 |
| 0 | Sacrifice Hit | 0 |
| 8 | Hits | 15 |
| 0 | Stolen Bases | 1 |
| 2 | Walks | 2 |
| 0 | Catcher Interference | 0 |
| 1 | Runs | 12 |
| 1 | Ground Into Double Play | 0 |
| 0 | Sacrifice Flies | 1 |
| 35 | At Bats | 39 |
| 0 | Home Runs | 2 |
| 0 | Grand Slam Home Runs | 0 |
| 27 | Runners Left On Base | 17 |
| 0 | Triples | 0 |
| 0 | Game Winning RBIs | 1 |
| 0 | Intentional Walks | 0 |
| 2 | Doubles | 3 |
| 13 | Fly Balls | 20 |
| 0 | Caught Stealing | 0 |
| 138 | Pitches | 146 |
| 0 | Games Started | 0 |
| 0 | Pinch At Bats | 1 |
| 0 | Pinch Hits | 0 |
| 0.0 | Player Rating | 0.0 |
| 1 | Is Qualified | 1 |
| 0 | Is Qualified In Steals | 1 |
| 10 | Total Bases | 24 |
| 39 | Plate Appearances | 43 |
| 0.0 | Projected Home Runs | 324.0 |
| 2 | Extra Base Hits | 5 |
| 3.0 | Runs Created | 9.8 |
| .229 | Batting Average | .385 |
| .000 | Pinch Hit Average | .000 |
| .286 | Slugging Percentage | .615 |
| .114 | Secondary Average | .308 |
| .308 | On Base Percentage | .419 |
| .593 | OBP Pct + SLG Pct | 1.034 |
| 1.0 | Ground To Fly Ball Ratio | 0.6 |
| 2.9 | Runs Created Per 27 Outs | 10.5 |
| 16.0 | Batter Rating | 74.0 |
| 0.0 | At Bats Per Home Run | 19.5 |
| 0.00 | Stolen Base Percentage | 1.00 |
| 3.54 | Pitches Per Plate Appearance | 3.40 |
| .057 | Isolated Power | .231 |
| 0.22 | Walk To Strikeout Ratio | 0.25 |
| .051 | Walks Per Plate Appearance | .047 |
| -.114 | Secondary Average Minus Batting Average | -.077 |
| 2.0 | Runs Produced | 23.0 |
| 1.0 | Runs Ratio | 0.9 |
| 0.4 | Patience Ratio | 0.6 |
| 0.3 | Balls In Play Average | 0.4 |
| 71.0 | MLB Rating | 114.3 |
| 0.0 | Offensive Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
Game Information
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 13,950 | Capacity:
2026 National League Central Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Milwaukee |
- | 23 | W2 | 0.62903225 | 39 |
 St. Louis |
5 | 28 | W3 | 0.5483871 | 34 |
| Pittsburgh |
6.5 | 31 | L2 | 0.52307695 | 34 |
| Chicago |
6.5 | 31 | W1 | 0.52307695 | 34 |
 Cincinnati |
8.5 | 32 | L3 | 0.4920635 | 31 |