Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/26/22): Cubs 4, Pirates 2 – Short Sweep Overshadowed on Bittersweet Day

It was an emotional day at Wrigley Field Tuesday as Willson Contreras and Ian Happ played in what may have been their final home game as Cubs. Another great pitching effort led to a sixth consecutive win and second straight sweep on a bittersweet day.

The Cubs jumped out to an immediate lead on Pirates starter Bryse Wilson in the bottom of the 1st as Seiya Suzuki doubled to put men on second and third for Happ, who also hit a two-bagger to put Chicago up 2-0. Nico Hoerner followed with a chopped grounder down the first baseline for another double and a 3-0 advantage.

Keegan Thompson was very good on Tuesday, pitching seven strong innings. His only mistake came on a two-run homer to young stud Oneil Cruz that cut the Cubs’ lead to one, but Suzuki provided an insurance run in the 8th inning with a long home run against Wil Crowe.

Mychal Givens came on for the save opportunity in the 9th and nailed it down with very little drama. (Box score)

Why the Cubs Won

The Cubs have been pitching lights-out on the current winning streak, keeping them in games and letting the offense do just enough to win.

Eye on the Future

• Suzuki was very locked in at the plate Tuesday with an additional hard-hit fly out to go with his home run and double.
• Thompson gave up the homer after an error so technically he did not give up any earned runs: 7 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 7 K, and 0 BB.
• Hoerner committed that error but he still had two more hits, so overall a good day.

Stats That Matter

• Contreras was emotional after a standing ovation in his first at-bat and singled for his only hit of the game.
• Rowan Wick had a pair of strikeouts in a clean 8th inning as he continues to pitch well of late.

Bottom Line

After the game, both Contreras and Happ were hugging their teammates in what amounted to goodbyes. Whatever you think the merits of trading these two are, it is hard to watch them go. At least they get to know how much the fans appreciated all they did.

On Deck

The Cubs head to San Francisco for four games starting Thursday at 8:45pm CT. Justin Steele takes on a yet to be named starter for the Giants in the game available on Marquee Sports Network and 670 The Score.