Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/2/24): Pirates 5, Cubs 3 – 8th Inning Meltdown Snaps Winning Streak

The Cubs were in great shape to extend their six-game winning streak against the Pirates at Wrigley Field Monday night, holding a 3-0 lead through seven innings. That’s when disaster struck for Chicago, however, with a bullpen meltdown in the 8th inning and an absolute gut-punch of a loss that might derail their playoff chances.

Dansby Swanson put the North Siders ahead with a solo home run off Jared Jones in the 3rd inning. Jameson Taillon pitched very well and kept Pittsburgh quiet despite being treated with a heating pad for a stiff back throughout his outing.

🚨 Dansby Dinger 🚨 pic.twitter.com/6bqzrLVhBm

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 3, 2024

Pete Crow-Armstrong used his blazing speed to beat out to throw to second base on what looked like a routine double-play grounder by Miguel Amaya to keep the 5th inning alive for Chicago. That brought Ian Happ to the plate and he hit a two-run triple into the right field corner to put the Cubs on top 3-0.

Taillon pitched seven scoreless frames before making way for the usually reliable Jorge López. The Pirates opened up the 8th with a bloop single and an infield hit to put two on with nobody out for Bryan Reynolds. The All-Star outfielder then hit a game-tying opposite-field home run to center against López and it was a brand-new game.

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh was not done in the inning and veteran Andrew McCutchen blasted a solo shot to put the road team ahead 4-3. Nick Gonzalez knocked in an Insurance run against Shawn Armstrong in the 9th and the Cubs couldn’t muster a rally as they went down to a 5-3 defeat. (Box score)

Key Moment

The Pirates had two perfectly placed singles right before the Reynolds homer. That was the kind of bad break the North Siders had avoided recently and maybe this was all just a little regression to the mean. It certainly was a tough way to lose an important game.

Why the Cubs Lost

The offense could have done more but this loss is largely the fault of the bullpen, which has been very good over the last month plus.

Stats That Matter

• Taillon was terrific and deserved the win: 7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 K, and 1 BB.
• Swanson had two more hits and looks the best he has all season.
• Happ did his typical good work against his hometown team with two more knocks.

Bottom Line

With almost no margin for error, the Cubs could not afford to drop a winnable game like this one. To make matters worse, it was announced after the game that Justin Steele had been scratched from Tuesday’s start with elbow soreness. If he has to miss any significant time, staying in the race becomes even more daunting.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Tuesday at 6:40pm CT. Kyle Hendricks faces Paul Skenes for the third time this season in a contest airing on Marquee and 670 The Score.