Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score on Jun 18, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jun 18, 2017

PITTSBURGH -- Anthony Rizzo stayed hot at the plate and John Lackey won for the first time in more than a month on Sunday as the Chicago Cubs downed the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 at PNC Park.

Rizzo went 3-for-5, including his 16th homer, and had two RBIs and three runs scored. He has equaled his career high with a 12-game hitting streak.

Chicago (34-34) took two of three against the Pirates -- their first road series win in more than six weeks, since winning two of three at PNC Park on April 24-26.

Pittsburgh (31-38) had won five of its previous seven games and missed a chance to move within 1 1/2 games of the second-place Cubs in the National League Central.

Lackey (5-7) allowed one run, a solo homer by Jordy Mercer, in six innings of two-hit ball, striking out four and walking three. Since his previous win May 16, he had been 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in five starts.

Relievers Carl Edwards Jr., Hector Rondon and Brian Duensing each pitched a scoreless inning for the Cubs to polish off a combined three-hitter.

Pirates starter Jameson Taillon (3-2) took a step back as he made his second start since returning from surgery for testicular cancer. He gave up four runs and eight hits through five innings, with four strikeouts and one walk. He beat Colorado in his first game off the DL with five innings of scoreless work, with five hits and five strikeouts.

Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Rizzo smacked Taillon's first pitch to the left field corner for a double, moved to third on Ian Happ's bunt and scored on Willson Contreras' double.

Lackey got out of a two-on, none-out jam in the second -- shortstop Javier Baez bobbled what could have been a double-play grounder -- with three fly balls.

The Cubs scored two more in the third before there was an out, on Contreras' two-run double, for a 3-0 lead, and added another in the fourth on John Jay's RBI single to make it 4-0.

Mercer lined a leadoff homer just inside the foul pole in left to bring he Pirates within 4-1 in the fifth. It was the 20th homer allowed by Lackey this season.

Rizzo's two-run shot to left in the seventh provided 6-1 advantage.

Happ, a rookie playing in his hometown for the first time this weekend, launched a two-out homer, his eighth home run of the year, into the Chicago bullpen in center to make it 7-1 in the ninth.

NOTES: Chicago LF Jason Heyward left the game in the fourth inning because of a left hand abrasion. He apparently got that in the second sliding to attempt to catch a foul ball. ... Pittsburgh reinstated C Chris Stewart from the 10-day DL and optioned C Jacob Stallings to Triple-A Indianapolis. ... Cubs SS Addison Russell, who twisted an ankle rounding second Saturday night, was available to play Sunday but was given the day off. ... Seattle claimed minor league RHP Pat Light from the Pirates.