The Cubs aimed for a sweep of the Pirates Sunday at an overcast Wrigley Field, but it wasn’t going to be easy. The troublesome bullpen actually performed well for once and Chicago had a successful first experience with baseball’s new extra-innings rule.
Kevin Newman gave his team an early lead with a solo homer off of Jon Lester in the 1st. Lester had almost 50 pitches through two innings, but he settled in after that and went six strong. Pirates spot starter Steven Brault mowed down the Cubs in his three perfect frames.