Chicago Cubs break through as they blow through the Pirates

The Chicago Cubs went big on offense, scoring 13 runs on the way to a victory over the Pittsburg Pirates.

The Chicago Cubs‘ Jon Lester was ready to have a good day on the mound. He even made a nice play up the middle on a ball and bounce-passed it to Victor Caratini for the out. But it was the three-run home run by Sean Rodriguez that put him in a foul mood. If there was ever a guy that didn’t need it against the Cubs, it was him.

But when it comes to Cubs’ having a good week, be sure to put Javier Baez on the list, would you? Baez hit his third home run in two days as the Cubs took a 4-3 lead. Needless to says, he wasn’t done yet. But we’ll get to that in a bit.

Lester not bad, not good

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Lester was a mixed bag of sorts, struggling to hit his spots–including the home run to Rodriguez. In the fifth inning, Francisco Cervelli hit the game-tying sings as the Pittsburgh Pirates tied it up at 4-4. But it didn’t take the Cubs long to respond. And at the center of it was nobody other than Baez.

After Baez swung at strike three that got away, he took off for first base without a throw. He advanced on Jason Heyward‘s fielders choice, then stole third on Tyler Glasnow. With two strikes on Tommy La Stella, he put the ball in play which led to a run as Baez scored.

Open thy gates

From there, the floodgates opened for the Cubs. Kris Bryant logged a run-scoring double. Ben Zobrist lined a single to center that scored Albert Amora Jr. and Bryant. Heyward lined a single to right that scored Caratini. Ian Happ then hit a two-run shot for the Cubs, and Bryant added one more for good measure for a 12-4 lead.

David Freese added a solo shot for the Pirates. But that’s not what we are excited about. Baez stepped to the plate and hit his fourth home run in two days. He might be batting just an eyelash over .200, but he’s had some big hits for the Cubs.

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Eddie Butler came in and gave up the long ball to Freese, but it was once again a solid performance overall. It was the only run allowed by the pen today, but we can overlook it.

What’s coming up

The Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks (0-0, 4.09) will take on Trevor William (2-0, 1.59) to close out the series. First pitch is at 1:20 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field.