Friday, September 11, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs
PIT
Pittsburgh Pirates
72-75 · W4
CHC
Chicago Cubs
79-68 · L4
Chicago Cubs beat Pittsburgh Pirates 12-2 at Wrigley Field. Shota Imanaga earned the win; Wilber Dotel took the loss.
The Cubs beat the Pirates 12-2 at Wrigley Field, scoring in five separate innings and building a double-digit lead by the seventh. Shota Imanaga took the win after six innings of two-run ball, allowing four strikeouts across 100 pitches and lowering his ERA to 3.88. Alex Bregman went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in the fourth, driving in both runners after Seiya Suzuki singled and Pete Crow-Armstrong had reached. Michael Busch knocked in three with a double, a single, and a sacrifice fly, while the Cubs plated three runs in the second and four more in the fourth to put the game away. The NRFI model had a neutral lean and the first inning was scoreless. Imanaga posted four strikeouts, matching the actuals. Wilber Dotel took the loss for Pittsburgh and recorded just one strikeout.
Alex Bregman's 25th home run capped a four-run fourth inning and extended his multi-hit afternoon to three hits and two RBI.
Michael Busch drove in three runs across three different plate appearances, including a run-scoring double in the third that saw him advance to third on a throwing error.
The NRFI model showed a neutral lean and both teams were held scoreless in the first inning despite Pittsburgh plating a run in the top of the frame on an Oneil Cruz single.
Shota Imanaga threw 100 pitches over six innings and posted four strikeouts, matching the model projection, while Wilber Dotel managed only one strikeout for Pittsburgh.
Linescore
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| CHC | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 12 | 16 | 0 |
Scoring Summary
Oneil Cruz singles on a line drive to left fielder Ian Happ. Konnor Griffin scores.
Michael Conforto out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Jake Mangum in foul territory. Alex Bregman scores.
Carson Kelly doubles (15) on a sharp line drive to left fielder Jake Mangum. Ian Happ scores. Pedro Ramírez scores.
Michael Busch doubles (27) on a sharp fly ball to right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez. Seiya Suzuki scores. Michael Busch to 3rd. Michael Busch advances to 3rd, on a throwing error by right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez.
Nico Hoerner flies into a force out, right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez to shortstop Konnor Griffin. Michael Busch scores. Ian Happ out at 2nd. Nico Hoerner to 1st.
Seiya Suzuki singles on a ground ball to right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez. Carson Kelly scores. Pete Crow-Armstrong to 3rd.
Michael Busch out on a sacrifice fly to shortstop Konnor Griffin. Pete Crow-Armstrong scores.
Alex Bregman homers (25) on a fly ball to left field. Seiya Suzuki scores.
Bryan Reynolds homers (17) on a fly ball to left field.
Michael Busch singles on a sharp line drive to center fielder Oneil Cruz. Seiya Suzuki scores.
Tyrone Taylor out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Billy Cook. Michael Busch scores.
Pete Crow-Armstrong singles on a line drive to right fielder Jared Triolo. Pedro Ramírez scores. Carson Kelly to 2nd.
Key Performers
Alex Bregman
CHC
3-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Bryan Reynolds
PIT
1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
Michael Busch
CHC
2-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R
Carson Kelly
CHC
2-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R
Batting
| PIT | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Gonzalez 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Bryan Reynolds DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
| Oneil Cruz CF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
| Jared Triolo RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Esmerlyn Valdez RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - |
| Jake Mangum LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Billy Cook CF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Henry Davis C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Konnor Griffin SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - |
| Ryan O'Hearn 1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Nick Gonzales 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
| Rafael Flores Jr. C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - |
| Totals | 33 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| CHC | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Conforto LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Tyrone Taylor CF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Ian Happ LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - |
| Alex Bregman 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Pedro Ramírez 3B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Michael Busch 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Carson Kelly C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong CF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Gabriel Arias SS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Seiya Suzuki RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
| BJ Murray Jr. 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - |
| Nico Hoerner SS | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Matt Shaw 2B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Totals | 36 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
Pitching
| PIT | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | P-S | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dotel (L, 1-5) | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 38-27 | 4.93 |
| Curtis | 3.0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 62-36 | 5.14 |
| Kelly, A | 3.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 45-36 | 6.35 |
| Totals | 8.0 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| CHC | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | P-S | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imanaga (W, 10-10) | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 100-60 | 3.88 |
| Assad | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12-9 | 3.54 |
| Palencia, D | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15-10 | 4.50 |
| Thornton, T | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7-5 | 3.35 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |