There were three different sub-plot games within the Cubs’ 8-3 win over the Pirates Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, a win that gave the Cubs both the series win and a 10-9 edge in the season series over the Bucs. It’s the first time in franchise history the Cubs have won the season series from the Pirates eight straight years.
The first of those games was a fast-paced pitchers’ duel in which Adrian Sampson hardly threw any pitches at all (more on that later) and the Cubs couldn’t do anything with 100 mile per hour Pirates rookie Luis Ortiz.