The old axiom about baseball being a game of inches was fully evident Saturday in the Pirates’ 3-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Pinch hitter Matt Duffy’s bloop single in the seventh inning brought home Jason Heyward with the go-ahead run as Chicago handed the Pirates their eighth loss in their last nine starts.
Duffy took Clay Holmes’ offering off the very end of the bat, and as a result the ball fell in front of the Pirates’ charging right fielder Phillip Evans. Evans uncorked a strong throw, but Heyward dove head-first toward the plate, barely eluding the tag of catcher Michael Perez.