Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago White Sox

The Pirates buried the White Sox in the first two frames and never looked back, winning 9-3 at Rate Field behind a seven-run opening salvo that turned the game into a formality. Bubba Chandler earned the win after holding Chicago to two earned runs across six innings on 95 pitches. He struck out eight, matching the model projection exactly. Sean Burke took the loss for the White Sox, fanning just two before his day ended early. Pittsburgh sent nine men to the plate in the first, stringing together four extra-base hits. Bryan Reynolds doubled home Konnor Griffin, Oneil Cruz plated two more with a double to center, Esmerlyn Valdez drove in Cruz on a ground-rule double, and Spencer Horwitz capped the frame with an RBI single. The Pirates added two more in the second when Horwitz singled again, this time scoring Brandon Lowe and Reynolds. Rafael Flores Jr. went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in the fifth inning, his eighth of the year. Kyle Teel answered with a solo shot of his own in the sixth for Chicago, his fourth. Horwitz finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, all driven in during the first two innings. The White Sox scratched across three runs late but never threatened after the early deficit. The NRFI model carried a neutral lean, and the first inning was scoreless in a technical sense only for the home side. Chandler's eight strikeouts aligned precisely with the K model, while Burke managed two before his exit.