The game was a spectacular display of power especially for Pittsburgh. The Pirates hit five HRs – two from Pedro Alvarez, two from Russell Martin and one from Travis Snider – but they were all solo shots so the damage for the Cubs was incredibly limited. Chicago, on the other hand, was pretty solid on offense and in particular, the young guns were especially productive.
Mike Olt connected a two-run bomb in the fifth and Junior Lake added another homer immediately after him. Olt finished with three RBIs and Anthony Rizzo had a very productive day going 4-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored. The former San Diego Padres prospect improved his average to .375 and he seems to be a much better player than he was last year in his first full year at the MLB level.
The Cubs also had a strong presence on the mound thanks to Jason Hammel. Hammel went seven innings and despite the fact that he allowed three runs, he struck out six and held Pittsburgh hitless until the fifth when Alvarez homered for the first time. Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop closed out the game and Chicago ended up with a huge win in front of their fans at Wrigley Field.
The team needed it and aside from the win, their youngsters seem to be playing better as the season progresses. That can only be positive for a franchise that’s desperate to get back to respectability.