The Cubs rode a seven-game losing streak into this one and had played themselves out of the playoff conversation. Now it becomes a matter of playing for pride, if that is still a thing for this club. It looked for a while as though they might have a W in them, but those hopes faded late.
Willson Contreras kick-started the offense in the 2nd inning with a one-out triple and was knocked in on an Ian Happ single. The Pirates got even in the bottom of the 4th on an RBI double by Erik Gonzalez and would then take the lead one batter later.