Rookie reliever Evan Sisk's 8th-inning struggles plague Pirates against Cubs

Noah Hiles, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Aug 16, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — Pirates rookie left-hander Evan Sisk faced just three batters Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for him, two of them reached base and came around to score.

Seiya Suzuki’s RBI single against Sisk in the bottom of the eighth ultimately made the difference in a pitchers’ duel at Wrigley Field, paving the way for a 3-1 Cubs victory. Sisk, in just his second outing with the Pirates, was the game’s losing pitcher, falling to 0-1 on the year. Cubs reliever Andrew Kittredge earned the win, improving to 3-3.

After a quiet start for both teams, Tommy Pham gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, smashing a solo homer to left field. The blast marked his sixth of the season. Similar to Friday’s game, the Cubs provided a quick response, tying the contest in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI single from Carson Kelly.

Pirates starter Mike Burrows and right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas combined to allow just one run over the first seven innings, matching the strong pace set by Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. Don Kelly’s club had a few chances to retake the lead but failed to capitalize, allowing the Cubs to win the game in the bottom of the eighth.

Nico Hoerner drove home Suzuki later in the eighth inning, giving his team an important insurance run. Brad Keller then closed out the game in the top of the ninth, earning his first save of the season.

It was over when ...

... Hoerner singled home Suzuki, putting the Cubs ahead by multiple runs.

On the mound

Pirates starter Mike Burrows was solid, allowing just one run, which was earned, over five innings of work. The Cubs tagged him for five hits and a pair of walks but struck out four times against the rookie right-hander.

Burrows’ biggest challenge of the day came in the bottom of the fourth inning. After he allowed Kelly to tie the game at 1-1 with a single, the Cubs continued to chip away. Ian Happ walked in the following at-bat to load the bases. With no room for another mistake, Burrows escaped the jam by getting Hoerner to pop out to short.

At the plate

The last time Imanaga pitched against the Pirates at Wrigley Field, he, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge threw a combined no-hitter. While the Cubs southpaw wasn’t as dominant this time around, he still had little trouble controlling Kelly’s lineup.

Pham’s solo homer in the top of the fourth inning was Pittsburgh’s lone baserunner in the first two times through the order. The Pirates provided a bit more pressure the third time through, putting a pair of runners on base in both the sixth and seventh innings, but neither instance resulted in an additional run.

Imanaga concluded his seven-inning workday with a strikeout against Alexander Canario, which occurred with the go-ahead run on third base. He allowed just three hits, walked two and struck out six.

The Pirates had an opportunity to take the lead in the eighth inning following Imanaga’s departure. Jared Triolo reached on a one-out single, moved to second on a groundout and then stole third base. But Kittredge got Bryan Reynolds to strike out, stranding the go-ahead run at third base for the second straight inning.

Most valuable player

Suzuki, who drove home the game’s winning run.

Up next

The Pirates and Cubs conclude their weekend series Sunday at Wrigley Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. Javier Assad (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will start for Chicago. Pittsburgh has yet to announce its starting pitcher for the contest.