CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs played long ball in beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-4 on Friday afternoon, as two maligned players set the tone for the win.
Jason Heyward got on base in his first three plate appearances and Jorge Soler reached in his first two, as the outcome of the game was still to be determined. They each scored runs as Addison Russell belted a three-run shot, Kris Bryant added a two-run homer and then David Ross hit his 99th career blast (a three-run homer) to make it 8-0 Cubs after five innings.