Cubs take advantage of Pirates errors for series sweep, clinch postseason berth

The Pittsburgh Pirates were hoping to avoid watching the Chicago Cubs celebrate a series sweep and clinch a postseason berth at PNC Park.

They provided a three-run response to a disastrous four-run first inning, then tied the score in the second inning with a bases-loaded walk. But the Pirates couldn’t overcome their own defensive mishaps, especially after they committed two throwing errors in a three-run sixth inning.

So, they were doomed to suffer the indignity of listening to a contingent of Cubs fans standing and cheering for the final out of an 8-4 win Wednesday afternoon before 13,488 at PNC Park.

The Cubs (88-64) clinched their first playoff berth since 2020 — the first over a full season since 2018 — and celebrated with hugs and back slaps outside the visitors dugout. After celebrating in the visiting clubhouse, they later took team photos in the outfield.

“Knowing that’s where we want to be, and we’ve got to continue to work every day to get there,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Tough to see that happen in your home ballpark but also something that you get to see that we’re working towards every single day. We need to continue to get better and when you see another team clinch like that, it is a sour taste but motivation, as well.”

It marked the eighth time the Pirates were swept this season, including five at PNC Park. They also have been swept by Cleveland, San Diego, the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee.

Pirates starter Johan Oviedo gave up four runs on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman in the first inning, when he said teammates, including Mitch Keller, informed him he was tipping pitches. Oviedo recovered to toss four scoreless innings, reaching 99 pitches over five innings.

Michael Busch worked a nine-pitch leadoff walk, advanced to third on Nico Hoerner’s single to center and scored when Oviedo was called for a balk. Ian Happ hammered a 2-0 curveball 403 feet to right field for his 23rd home run and a 3-0 Cubs lead.

On the next pitch, Moises Ballesteros made it back-to-back homers by sending a fastball 410 feet to right for a 4-0 lead. Oviedo hit Seiya Suzuki with a pitch before recording his first out, when Pete Crow-Armstrong flied out to right. Dansby Swanson singled to put runners on the corners, but Oviedo got Reese McGuire to ground into a double play.

“I’m a little bit disappointed in the first inning,” Oviedo said. “Obviously, I’m not trying to take credit away from them; they’re a really good team. But they were taking pitches in a way nobody has done the entire season. Even on the second time through, I was actually throwing the same pitches that they hit in the first one and they didn’t have a chance. That gives me 1000% confidence that they were on what I was throwing. I tried really hard to give the team a chance to win the ballgame.”

The Pirates answered with a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning. Tommy Pham drew a walk, Andrew McCutchen singled to left and Joey Bart blasted a 419-foot three-run shot to center for his third homer to cut it to 4-3. Alexander Canario and Nick Yorke followed with singles to put runners on first and third for Rafael Flores, who made his major-league debut. Flores worked a seven-pitch at-bat before Matthew Boyd got him swinging at a full-count changeup for a strikeout.

Boyd loaded the bases in the second by giving up singles to Cam Devanney and Jared Triolo and hitting Nick Gonzales with a pitch, then walked McCutchen to score the tying run before recovering to strike out Bart and Canario to end the inning.

“For Joey to come up with a huge hit there to get us back within one and then second inning, to be able to tie it up,” Kelly said, “unfortunately we just couldn’t come away with more in that inning.”

The Cubs took advantage of two Pirates errors to score three runs in the sixth. In his first appearance since returning from paternity leave, Yohan Ramirez got off to a rough start when Swanson hit a comebacker to the mound. Ramirez made an errant throw from his knees, allowing Swanson to reach safely. Swanson was stealing when Matt Shaw drew a walk and Bart’s throw to second base sailed into the outfield, allowing Swanson to reach third. Swanson scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right by Busch.

Kelly called the errors “uncharacteristic” for the Pirates.

“Tough when any time you give a team, especially the Cubs, extra outs, they’re going to find a way to score,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to play tighter.”

After Ramirez gave up a single to Hoerner, the Pirates brought in lefty Evan Sisk. But he surrendered RBI singles to Happ and pinch hitter Justin Turner as the Cubs stretched their lead to 7-4.

The Pirate got a big defensive play from Canario, who prevented the Cubs from increasing their lead with runners on first and second in the seventh. Canario chased down Shaw’s fly ball to the warning track in center for a back-handed catch, then turned and fired it to Triolo to throw to first base for an 8-6-3 double play.

“That was a heck of a play,” Kelly said. “For him to be able to get back there, catch it, turn around, hit Tri and then double him up — big play in the seventh inning. Was really huge.”

When Hoerner drew a four-pitch walk and Happ followed with a full-count walk, the Pirates pulled Dauri Moreta. But Turner singled to left off Kyle Nicolas, driving in Hoerner for an 8-4 lead. The Pirates went down in order in the ninth and could only watch as the Cubs celebrated clinching a trip to the playoffs on their home field.