*Photo from Bleed Cubbie Blue*
On an inauspicious night in Pittsburgh, something immaculate happened. Christopher Morel drove in two runs, Hayden Wesneski tossed an immaculate inning, and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 3-2 victory on Thursday night.
Entering the series after taking two straight against the Miami Marlins, the Cubs took the series opener from the Pirates, buoyed by some timely hitting. They were also boosted by Wesneski, who threw an immaculate inning in his 4th career appearance.
Wesneski said of his immaculate inning that "It's crazy. You start thinking about it about the seventh, eighth pitch, then on the ninth pitch you’ve got to let it rip and make it happen. I’ve been a part of one in college but this one is a lot different."
The first inning of play went scoreless. Morel got everything started in the second inning, doubling to left field. That scored two runs and put the Cubs ahead by a 2-0 score. One inning later, in the 3rd, Bryan Reynolds got the Pirates on the board, singling home Jason Delay and cutting the Pirates deficit to 2-1.
There was no scoring again until the 7th inning. In the top half of the inning, Michael Hermosillo singled to the left center field gap, scoring Alfonso Rivas and putting the Cubs ahead by a 3-1 score. In the bottom half, Kevin Newman cut the deficit to 3-2, blasting a solo home run to left field. The Pirates were unable to score again.
Yan Gomes, Wesneski's catcher, said that "We were trying to push the pace. And having an inning like that, you don't really realize what's happening until, really, like a pitch or so into that third batter. I mean, that shows the kind of pitcher that he is. I think he's got a great arsenal. To be able to do something like that, I'm sure there's plenty of big-time pitchers that haven't done it."
In his second career start, Wesneski got the win, allowing two runs on 5 hits over 6 1/3 innings pitched. Brandon Hughes pitched the next 1/3 of an inning, followed by 2 1/3 innings from Mark Leiter Jr, who picked up the save as well.
For the Pirates, Mitch Keller got the start, taking the loss after allowing two runs in 6 innings pitched. David Bednar allowed one run in his return from the IL, working one inning. Duane Underwood Jr and Robert Stephenson also pitched.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Bednar that "This guy is a big part of what we’re doing, not only this year but moving into the future. It’s definitely important to have him back. The most important thing is for him to pitch healthy in Major League games before the season ended, and he’s going to be able to do that."
Up next, the Pirates and Cubs get back in action on Friday night. Javier Assad gets the start for the Cubs, while Bryse Wilson goes for the Pirates.
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