Cubs’ Jameson Taillon extends win streak at Pirates’ expense

Pete Crow-Armstrong belted a two-run homer and Jameson Taillon recorded his fifth win in as many starts as the host Chicago Cubs earned a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.
Taillon (7-3), who began his major league career with Pittsburgh, allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. He has yielded just seven runs on 19 hits in 33 innings during his winning streak.
Seiya Suzuki added a solo shot for the Cubs, who won the opener of their 10-game homestand despite mustering just four hits.
Adam Frazier sliced an RBI double in the seventh inning among the four hits for the Pirates, who lost for just the second time in seven games.
Pittsburgh starter Andrew Heaney (3-5) retired the first 10 batters he faced before Kyle Tucker ripped a one-out single in the fourth inning. Crow-Armstrong came up two batters later and deposited a 2-2 fastball over the right-center-field wall to open the scoring.
The homer was Crow-Armstrong’s team-leading 18th of the season and third in his past seven games.
Suzuki sent a 2-1 changeup from Heaney over the wall in left field to stake Chicago to a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning. The homer was Suzuki’s 17th of the season and third in his past six games.
Taillon allowed just a one-out single to Andrew McCutchen in the first inning before breezing into the seventh.
Spencer Horwitz, however, ripped a one-out double before scoring Pittsburgh’s first run on Frazier’s single to left field. Taillon allowed another single before being replaced by Brad Keller, who hit a batter with a pitch and issued a bases-loaded walk to Jared Triolo before striking out Oneil Cruz to end the inning.
Chicago reliever Daniel Palencia retired the side in order in the eighth inning and Ryan Pressly did the same in the ninth to secure his fifth save of the season.
Heaney yielded three runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in six innings.