Cubs halt Pirates’ win streak in rout
CHICAGO – Alex Bregman hit his 25th homer and doubled among three hits, Shota Imanaga tossed six effective innings and the Chicago Cubs pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-2 on Friday to end a four-game slide.
Seiya Suzuki had three hits, including a wind-blown triple, scored three runs and drove in one as the Cubs finished with 16 hits against three Pittsburgh pitchers and ended the Pirates’ four-game winning streak. Chicago remains well behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee but is in position for a wild card.
Michael Busch doubled and had three RBIs, and Carson Kelly doubled in a pair of runs. All of Chicago’s starters had at least one hit, and five finished with two or more.
Bregman went deep in the fourth inning, a two-run shot off Khristian Curtis that made it 9-1.
Imanaga (10-10) allowed two runs on five hits in a second straight solid start and win. The left-hander struck out four and walked two.
Bryan Reynolds hit a solo shot for Pittsburgh, which came in having won 9 of 11 to climb back above .500. Rookie Konnor Griffin tripled among two hits.
Pirates rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez left in the sixth inning with left hamstring discomfort after running to first on a groundout.
The Cubs made it 3-1 in the second off Pirates opener Wilber Dotel (1-5). After Chicago loaded the bases, Michael Conforto’s sac fly tied it at 1 and Kelly’s double plated two more.
O’Hearn returns
The Pirates activated infielder/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn from the 10-day injured list before Friday’s game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and optioned outfielder Ronny Simón to Triple-A Indianapolis.
O’Hearn, an All-Star in 2025, suffered a strained left quad on July 31 at Cincinnati while running to first on a groundout in an 8-7 Pirates loss. He was helped off the field by manager Don Kelly and a trainer, and had been expected to miss six to eight weeks.
“It was a pretty significant injury,” Kelly said Friday. “And for him to return this fast, it’s great to have him back in the clubhouse.”
The 33-year-old O’Hearn is batting .270 with 17 home runs and a career-high 69 RBIs in 96 games. He wasn’t in Pittsburgh’s starting lineup Friday, but was available off the bench.
The Pirates signed O’Hearn to a two-year, $29 million free-agent contract in January. He missed two weeks in May with a right quad injury.
O’Hearn has made 49 appearances at first base, 42 in right field, and 17 as the designated hitter. He homered three times and set a Pirates single-game franchise record with 10 RBIs against the Braves on July 7.
Kelly said the team would “take it slow” with O’Hearn’s return and that he would ease in at first base and as a DH.
Up next
Pirates RHP Paul Skenes (10-11, 3.83 ERA) faces Cubs RHP Clay Holmes (6-7, 2.83) on Saturday.