Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson hit home runs during a five-run fourth inning for Chicago, and the Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-5 on Tuesday night. This win put the Cubs above .500 for the first time since May 28.
Suzuki hit a two-run homer to tie the game, marking his 19th home run of the season, off a fastball from rookie right-hander Jared Jones (5-7).
“The team, we’ve always played together,” said Suzuki, who also had four hits in an 18-8 win on Monday. “I think, right now, everybody is playing well. Clubhouse, everything. Everybody is doing well right now.”
Isaac Paredes then walked and scored on a double by Nico Hoerner. After a mound visit, the 23-year-old Jones threw a fastball down the middle to Swanson, who hit his 12th homer, just one night after hitting a grand slam.
Swanson, who also walked twice, then walked over to the edge of the team’s dugout to wish his mom, Nancy—who was sitting in the front row—a happy birthday.
The Cubs (67-66) have won five of their last six games. They are 28-18 since falling nine games below .500 on July 3.
“We’ve become consistent, I think,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. “And then we’ve played consistent-enough baseball. This is, let’s see, four series in a row, like, win the series. That’s consistency. So, that’s what we’re doing a nice job of.”
In his first start after being on the injured list, Jones gave up five runs and five hits, with four strikeouts and three walks in four innings. He had been out due to a right lat strain.
“It’s either a learning experience or you just drown yourself in sulk,” Jones said. “Sulking is not really a good option. So, I’m going to take a look at some video and figure out what I can do better.”
Justin Steele (5-5) pitched five innings for Chicago, giving up two runs and six hits while striking out six.
“Just feel like we’re having fun showing up to the clubhouse every day,” Steele said. “Everybody’s rallying around one another. Might as well keep showing up and wanting to win ballgames and having fun doing it.”
Steele was checked for having rosin on his non-throwing arm in the bottom of the third inning. The left-hander used a towel to wipe it off and was checked again at the start of his final two innings.
“You could probably see me shaking. I was scared,” Steele said. “They were saying, ‘You can’t have rosin on your non-throwing arm.’ It’s what they were saying to me.
I really didn’t know that, so they told me to go wipe it off my non-throwing arm or whatever. I was definitely scared. Was like, ‘I’m not really doing anything wrong here.’ So, I was scared to death, obviously.”
Ben Heller walked Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong with the bases loaded before giving up a two-run single to Miguel Amaya in the fifth inning.
The Pirates took the lead in the first inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a leadoff single and scored on Oneil Cruz’s sacrifice fly. Bryan De La Cruz added a two-out RBI double just inside the left-field line.
De La Cruz hit a leadoff homer in the sixth inning, his 19th of the season and first since being acquired in a trade with Miami on July 30. Oneil Cruz ended the game with four hits, including a two-out RBI single in the ninth inning.
“That’s encouraging,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said about De La Cruz. “When he stays in the middle of the field, drives the ball in the middle of the field, I think that’s the guy we acquired.”
