The Cubs returned home trying to get back on track after a 4-5 road trip that included back-to-back series losses.
They did just that.
The Cubs hit a pair of home runs off Pittsburgh Pirates’ left-hander Andrew Heaney as they took the first of a four-game set 3-2 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs (42-27) started off their nine-game, 10-day homestand in a strong way.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit what?
Pete Crow-Armstrong has made a habit of golfing balls below the strike zone for home runs.
The former trade acquisition upstairs on Thursday night.
The Cubs center fielder hit a two-run blast in the fourth inning off Heaney on a ball that was 3.90 feet off the ground, the ninth-highest pitch that’s been hit for a homer this year, per MLB Stats.
At 3.90 feet, Pete Crow-Armstrong matches the 9th-highest pitch hit for a home run this season.
PCA also has the two LOWEST – 0.86 ft and 1.08 ft! https://t.co/LxJIZ6hEJn
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) June 13, 2025
Crow-Armstrong has three home runs on balls hit below the zone. Thursday’s homer was his first above it and it was a big one for him and the team. The 23-year-old has struggled against left-handed pitching this season, to the tune of a .176/.208/.351 slash line, with a .559 OPS. It’s just the fourth home run off a lefty for Crow-Armstrong this season.
Heaney is no slouch, either. The Pirates’ southpaw entered Thursday’s contest with a 3.24 ERA in 13 starts and he recorded 10 straight outs to start the game. Kyle Tucker recorded the first hit of the game in the fourth inning and Crow-Armstrong brought him home two batters later.
It was another tough left-hander for the Cubs offense to face after suffering lefty losses against reigning American League Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal, the Phillies’ Jesús Luzardo and the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore over the last eight days.
Mr. Consistent
A pair of words come to mind when thinking about Jameson Taillon.
Consistent. Reliable. Yet, those two may underscore what he means to this team.
“Words like consistent and reliable don’t feel like they do Jameson enough justice, honestly, with what he’s done,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before Thursday’s game. “It’s so valuable in the starting pitcher world, because those two attributes affect the eight guys in the bullpen, every day or tomorrow or yesterday or Saturday; that’s first.
“And then I think, Jamo, he’s gotten better. He’s kept seeking out improvement, which at his point in his career is always something really fun to see.”
This season, that improvement has come in the form of his changeup – the “kick-change” as it’s known. It has that name because Taillon spikes his finger on the ball, affecting the spin of the ball and allowing it to become a weapon against left-handed hitters.
It worked super well on Thursday.
Taillon threw the pitch 15 times – 16%of the outing – always against lefties. That helped him pitch into the seventh inning, preserving the Cubs bullpen and showcasing again why he’s such a valuable member of their rotation.
New (old) closer
Daniel Palencia, who has emerged as the team’s closer after Ryan Pressly’s struggles, trotted out of the left-field bullpen in the eighth inning. That created some question marks.
Who would get the save opportunity?
Counsell went back to Pressly, a veteran closer. Pressly was nails, and delivered in that role.
The 36-year-old pitched a perfect ninth, inducing three groundball outs on six pitches while picking up his fifth save.
The Cubs acquired the former Houston Astros’ closer in an offseason trade and he was immediately inserted as the team’s ninth-inning choice to start the season. His struggles – highlighted by allowing eight runs while recording no outs in a loss to the Giants in extra innings – forced him out of the role.
But he’s been so good since. He has tossed 12 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts since that time, prompting Counsell to move him back to the closer’s role on Thursday. That’s a good development for the Cubs’ already deep bullpen.