The smile on Michael Hermosillo’s face at the top of this recap belies the fact that the Cubs played a very similar game Friday night to the one Thursday, and lost to the Pirates again 4-2, their fourth loss in a row.
Decent relief pitching? Check.
Early run scoring, then nothing? Check.
This is becoming a pattern that the Cubs need to break, and fast.
Drew Smyly wasn’t quite as sharp as he had been in his first two starts. The Pirates touched him up for a pair of runs in the second inning, and single runs in the fourth and fifth on solo homers.