Cubs 5, Pirates 4
Anthony Rizzo hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning as visiting Chicago stopped Pittsburgh's four-game winning streak.
Brian Bogusevic went 3-for-4 and also belted a two-run shot for the Cubs, who improved to 6-8 against the Pirates this season. Carlos Villanueva (6-8) gave up an infield hit but retired the only other batter he faced in the sixth for the victory.
Pedro Alvarez, Russell Martin and Garrett Jones hit consecutive homers over a four-pitch span in the fourth for the Pirates, who fell one game behind first-place St. Louis in the National League Central. Jason Grilli (0-2), making only his fourth relief appearance after missing more than a month with a forearm injury, gave up Rizzo's blast.
Bogusevic’s homer in the top of the fourth gave Chicago a 3-0 lead, but Alvarez's inside-the-park home run preceded solo shots by Martin and Jones in the bottom half to tie it. Andrew McCutchen scored from second on a routine grounder by Alvarez in the sixth as reliever Brooks Raley was unable to catch an underhand toss from Rizzo and Alvarez inadvertently kicked the dropped ball.
However, the Cubs struck back in the seventh as Luis Valbuena drew a two-out walk and Rizzo hammered a 1-0 slider that left the stadium down the right-field line. Pedro Strop tossed a scoreless eighth and Kevin Gregg worked around a two-out infield single in the ninth for his 32nd save.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Pirates' string of three straight homers was the first for the team since August 20, 2003, when Jason Kendall, Brian Giles and Reggie Sanders accomplished the feat. Pittsburgh also became just the third team in the last 50 years to hit three consecutive shots with an inside-the-park home run being a part of the burst. … Rizzo, who entered Friday batting .209 on the road, went 2-for-5 to lift his average against Pittsburgh this season to .137. … McCutchen went 2-for-4 and is batting .462 during an 11-game hitting streak.