Pirates beat Cubs on 10th-inning sacrifice fly from Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jun 13, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — Shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa did the little things. It was enough for a vuctory.

The Pirates beat the Cubs, 2-1 in 10 innings, on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Kiner-Falefa’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly was the difference, scoring automatic runner Adam Frazier.

It was another day the Pirates were unable to score runs for ace Paul Skenes, though Skenes wasn’t at his most dominant, either. Skenes didn’t allow a run but needed 95 pitches to get through five innings. He walked two batters, but the main thing that ran up his pitch count was the 24 foul balls the Cubs hit off of him.

Skenes’ shutout was threatened in the fifth. He allowed a two-out walk to Ian Happ, then right fielder Kyle Tucker doubled to the left-center field gap. Happ tried to score from first, but a perfect relay from center fielder Oneil Cruz to Kiner-Falefa to catcher Henry Davis cut Happ down at the plate.

Carmen Mlodzinski threw two scoreless innings in relief, though he needed to pitch out of trouble. He allowed back-to-back singles to lead off the sixth inning but got out of it by getting Dansby Swanson to ground into a double play and inducing a flyout from Michael Busch. He allowed another single to lead off the seventh but retired the next three.

The Pirates finally broke the 0-0 deadlock in the eighth. Davis led off the inning with a double off the left-field wall, then advanced to third on a Kiner-Falefa sacrifice. He scored when Cruz quite literally threw his bat at the ball, as the resulting chopper to the pitcher bounced high enough that Davis was able to beat the throw home.

But the lead didn’t last long. Caleb Ferguson, facing the heart of the Cubs lineup in the bottom of the eighth, walked Tucker, allowed a single to Seiya Suzuki, then got a grounder that second baseman Nick Gonzales wasn’t able to field cleanly enough for a double play. Gonzales tagged Suzuki out, but Swanson’s fielder’s choice off Dennis Santana was enough to score Tucker from third.

It was over when ...

... David Bednar pitched the 10th, slamming the door against the top of the Cubs lineup. Gonzales made the final out with a running throw on a tapper between first and second.

On the mound

Skenes’ start was tied for his shortest of the season, matching his other outing against the Cubs. In that one, he allowed three runs on a career-high three homers. Skenes was more effective Friday, but the Cubs seem to see him well.

At the plate

The Pirates had three hits in 5 2/3 innings off Cubs starter Cade Horton, making his sixth career start. Bryan Reynolds had a grounder up the third-base line for a double, Spencer Horwitz had a comebacker off Horton’s glove and Cruz ripped a single in the sixth. Horton struck out four.

Most valuable player

Kiner-Falefa may not have had a hit, but he did the little things with his sacrifice fly, a sacrifice bunt and the key leg of the fifth-inning relay. He also made an excellent defensive play in the ninth, fielding a dribbler barehanded and throwing across his body to first.

Up next

The Pirates and Cubs continue their four-game series on Saturday afternoon at 2:20 p.m. Right-hander Mike Burrows (1-1, 5.00 ERA) will face Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd (5-3, 2.89).

Roster moves

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Pirates announced catcher Endy Rodriguez had been moved from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day. Rodriguez is dealing with right elbow inflammation.

With a spot free on the 40-man roster, the Pirates claimed reliever Michael Darrell-Hicks from the Angels and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. Darrell-Hicks, 27, appeared six times for the Angels and had a 9.39 ERA in 7 2/3 innings.