Mike Burrows held the Chicago Cubs to one run in 5.1 innings but the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense was stifled in a 2-1 loss at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon.

How We Got There

Andrew McCutchen hit a solo home run off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd in the top of the first inning to give the Pirates (29-43) an early 1-0 lead.

The Cubs (43-28) tied the game in the bottom of the third on Ian Happ’s sacrifice fly off Mike Burrows. Chicago went up 2-1 courtesy of a Dansby Swanson solo home run off Ryan Borucki with two outs in the sixth.

The Cubs bullpen tossed 3.0-scoreless innings in relief of Boyd (6-3). Daniel Palencia recorded his sixth save of the season. Nick Gonzales reached on a two-out infield single in the ninth but Ke’Bryan Hayes struck out to end the game.

Key Moment

Manager Don Kelly went to Ryan Borucki to face lefty Pete Crow-Armstrong after Mike Burrows threw a career-high 81 pitches. Borucki (1-3) retired Crow-Armstrong, but Dansby Swanson followed by hitting the game-winning home run.

Star of the Game

Cubs starter Matthew Boyd was one over the minimum across 6.0-excellent innings. The left-hander allowed one hit, walked one and struck out three.

Stat to Know

Mike Burrows matched a career-high with 5.1 innings pitched and set a career-mark with eight strikeouts. Burrows has struck out 20 batters in 15 innings over his last three starts.

Notable Performances

Mike Burrows: 5.1 innings, five hits, one run, no walks, eight strikeouts, 81 pitches/56 strikes
Braxton Ashcraft: 2.0 innings, no runs, no hits, no walks, two strikeouts, 18 pitches/14 strikes
Andrew McCutchen: 2 for 4, one home run, one RBI, one run

Noteworthy

Following Andrew McCutchen’s home run, Matt Boyd retired the next 14 batters he faced before Tommy Pham drew a leadoff walk in the sixth. Pham was then picked off first base.
Pham reached 10 years of MLB service time on Saturday.

Up Next

The Pirates and Cubs will conclude their four-game series on Sunday afternoon. RHP Mitch Keller (1-9, 4.15 ERA) will take the mound for Pittsburgh. RHP Colin Rea (4-2, 3.92 ERA) will start for Chicago.