Pirates fall to Cubs in extras despite Jared Jones' strong start

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul 24, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — Jared Jones was dominant. The Pirates couldn’t get him the win.

Jones allowed one run in six dominant innings, but the Pirates’ offense did little to support him in 10 innings in a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Friday night at PNC Park. Dansby Swanson had a two-out RBI single in the 10th, scoring Ian Happ, before Yohan Ramirez issued a bases-loaded walk.

The Pirates scored the automatic runner, but went 1-2-3 in the 10th for the loss.

Jones largely cruised, as he has for the entire month of July, allowing only two hits. Pete Crow-Armstrong had both of those hits, doubling to center in the third inning on a ball that Jake Mangum caught, then dropped as he hit the wall. The lone mistake came to Crow-Armstrong in the sixth, as the Cubs All-Star launched a 3-1 slider Jones left over the middle for a solo home run.

Jones threw 83 pitches, a season-high. He has a 1.00 ERA in four July starts (21 innings).

The Pirates’ threats came on soft contact.

Henry Davis drew a two-out walk in the third, advanced to second on a Mangum single (on a pitch near his ankles), then thought he had scored on a Nick Gonzales grounder up the middle. But second baseman Nico Hoerner kept the ball from going into center, then threw behind Davis rounding third for the third out.

The first run came without the ball leaving the infield. Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd walked Marcell Ozuna and Brandon Lowe in the fifth, then Jared Triolo bunted and beat Boyd’s throw to first. With the Cubs playing for a double play, Davis’ soft grounder between first and second was enough for an RBI knock.

Davis was at the center again in the seventh, singling off Boyd and advancing to third on another Mangum single. But Gonzales’ fly ball to left wasn’t particularly deep, then a perfect throw from Ian Happ caught Davis at the plate.

Boyd threw seven innings, allowing seven hits and three walks but just one run. He struck out four.

It was over when …

… Ramirez walked Seiya Suzuki in the 10th for the eventual game-winning run. The Pirates had intentionally walked Crow-Armstrong to load the bases.

On the mound

Jones leaned heavily on his fastball and slider, not using his change-up or curveball until the fourth. He ended up throwing just four change-ups and four curveballs.

Wilber Dotel, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto pitched scoreless innings in relief. Dotel pitched around contact, with a narrow Davis challenge earning him a key strikeout to strand runners on the corners, while Montgomery struck out the side in the eighth.

Crow-Armstrong challenged a called strike three against Montgomery, running to first in anticipation of an overturn. When it nicked the bottom of the zone, the Yinzerpalooza crowd of 33,593 let him hear it.

At the plate

The Pirates did not have an extra-base hit. When they scored in the fifth, the hardest-hit ball had an exit velocity of 56.7 mph.

They went 3 for 10 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.

Bucs bites

— Spencer Horwitz and Chris Devenski were both scheduled to appear on rehab assignments with Low-A Bradenton, but the Marauders were rained out. Horwitz went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in Thursday’s game.

— Endy Rodriguez made his first rehab start at Triple-A Indianapolis and went 1 for 3 with an RBI single.

Up next

The Pirates and Cubs will play the second of a three-game series at 6:40 p.m. Saturday. Right-hander Paul Skenes (9-8, 3.43 ERA) will start against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga (6-8, 3.91), who has a career 0.28 ERA in five starts against the Pirates.