CHICAGO -- The north side of Chicago has been anything but friendly to the Pirates this year.
If the Pirates and Cubs never played each other this year, both clubs would be 69-71. Those head-to-head matchups are the difference between a team on the cusp of a fifth-straight losing season and a team that currently holds a wild card spot. Tuesday was the Pirates' 10th loss in 11 games to Cubs this year, and their most lopsided, as the Cubs cruised to a 14-1 victory at Wrigley Field.
While that is tied for the largest loss the Pirates have had this season -- they lost by the same score to the Brewers on Aug. 3 -- it's far from the first time the Pirates have struggled against the Cubs, who they have an 88-28 run allowed to score ratio against this season.
And when you compare it to the history of Pirates vs. Cubs, this is quite possibly the worst year the Pirates have had against their Chicago rivals since the 1890s. The number of games against divisional opponents dropped from 19 to 13 this season, and because of it, the Pirates are set for their fourth season in franchise history with three or fewer wins against the Cubs, according to Baseball Reference:
1896: 1-11
2023: 1-10
1890: 3-17
1998: 3-8
If the Pirates lose the last two games these teams have scheduled, it'll be the most one-sided the rivalry has ever been in a year. Even if they were able to win the last two, they would still have a worse winning percentage than the 1998 team.
This team may incredibly streaky, but they have avoided extended stretches of losing the second half of the season, have played over .500 over the last third of the year and generally looked like they have taken a step towards contention in 2024. That step may be more readily apparent if they could have won even a handful of their games against the Cubs.
"They’ve given us trouble," Shelton said with a slightly exhausted chuckle. "Throughout the year, we’ve missed in the middle of the plate a ton to them and they’ve done damage. So, we’ve got to rectify that the next two games."
On Tuesday, the Pirates paid for those hanging pitches. Bailey Falter started the first with a walk and a 374-foot home run into the left-center basket by Dansby Swanson. As it would turn out, Falter was just getting a look as an opener Tuesday, so he handed the ball off to Quinn Priester in the second, who got off on the wrong foot, allowing three quick runs over his first two frames.
Priester would settle down and settle in a bit from there, finishing with six innings pitches and four runs allowed on five hits and a pair of walks and strikeouts.
"We got through six today," Priester said. "Was able to make those adjustments, work with Endy well and go from there. But the biggest thing is gonna be getting strike one and staying ahead of guys."
Things quickly went sideways in the eighth, where Kyle Nicolas was wild and wound up being charged with six earned runs against one recorded out in his major-league debut. Both he and Jose Hernandez allowed home runs in the frame, meaning that every Pirate pitcher allowed at least one shot and that the Cubs hit for the home run cycle as a team: A solo home run, a two-run, a three-run and a grand slam. Nicolas has the distinction of allowing the grand slam to Alexander Canario.
"Shoot, they’re just a good team," Priester said. "They hit the ball, give themselves an opportunity, and they capitalized on our mistakes, especially when we gave them free passes. They’ll capitalize. We have to limit that."
And not that it would matter much given the context of the pitching, but the offense struck out 16 times in 34 trips to the plate as a group, one off for the most they've been punched out in a game (17 times against the Mariners May 27).
All of it comes together for an 81st loss, ensuring the Pirates will not finish with a winning record and putting them just one loss away from a fifth straight losing campaign.
"That’s a game we have to flush," Shelton said. "They just came out and beat us. So, we have to flush it and move on and come back out tomorrow."
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THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), INF Tucupita Marcano (knee), LHP Angel Perdomo (elbow), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow), DH/OF Andrew McCutchen (Achilles)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ji Hwan Bae, 2B
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
4. Jack Suwinski, CF
5. Joshua Palacios, DH
6. Endy Rodríguez, C
7. Henry Davis, RF
8. Alfonso Rivas, 1B
9. Liover Peguero, SS
And for David Ross' Cubs:
1. Nico Hoerner, 2B
2. Dansby Swanson, SS
3. Cody Bellinger, CF
4. Seiya Suzuki, RF
5. Yan Gomes, C
6. Ian Happ, LF
7. Christopher Morel, 3B
8. Patrick Wisdom, 1B
9. Alexander Canario, DH
THE SCHEDULE
Mitch Keller (12-9, 4.04) will take the mound Wednesday against Justin Steele (16-4, 2.73) in a matchup of 2023 All-Stars. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. Eastern. I'll still be on the north side of Chicago.
THE MULTIMEDIA
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