PITTSBURGH -- Ace Gerrit Cole gave up two home runs in five innings, and the Chicago Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 in the National League wild-card game Wednesday night at PNC Park. The Cubs advanced to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the divisional round starting Friday.
For the second year in a row, the Pirates couldn’t score off a dominant starting pitcher in the one-game playoff. Last season it was Giants ace Madison Bumgarner pitching a complete-game shutout in an 8-0 win, and this season it was Jake Arrieta, who struck out 11 and gave up just four hits.
Thumbs-up: Fists up? Pirates first baseman Sean Rodriguez clocking the Gatorade cooler in the dugout?
The Pirates' fans were certainly tuned up, waving flags and towels with gusto before the game began. They continued to stay loud as the Cubs quickly built an insurmountable lead early on.
Thumbs-down: Reliever Tony Watson hit Arrieta in the seventh after Arrieta hit Josh Harrison in the sixth, and that led to a benches- and bullpen-clearing fracas. Probably unnecessary.
Cole didn't start last year's wild-card game. With Arrieta on the mound, Cole had to be near-perfect. Instead, he lasted only five innings, giving up four runs, all of which were attributed to the first two hitters in the Cubs' lineup. Did the Pirates’ scouting report start with No. 3 hitter Kris Bryant?
Leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler and No. 2 hitter Kyle Schwarber combined to go 5-for-6 with two homers. Schwarber hit an RBI single in the first and a two-run homer in the third. Fowler hit two singles, scoring on both Schwarber hits, and then added a solo homer in the fifth.
Cole, who threw 78 pitches and gave up six hits and one walk, seemed a little too amped up to start the game, and the Cubs made him pay. Fowler led off the game with a single to right and stole second before scoring on a Schwarber single to left.
In the third inning, Schwarber crushed a 430-foot shot over the bleachers in right field. In his four starts against the Cubs this season, Cole gave up only one extra-base hit. In 56 1/3 career regular-season innings against the Cubs, Cole gave up two homers.
What’s next: Despite winning 98 games, the Pirates’ postseason is over after one game. The Pirates have to watch their NL Central rivals play for a berth in the National League Championship Series.
