Pirates Lose Consecutive Close Games Despite Burrows' Career-High Strikeouts

Mike Burrows delivered a strong pitching performance in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs, allowing just one run over 5.1 innings while striking out a career-high eight batters and walking none. Despite Burrows' effective outing, the Pirates' offense was limited, managing only five hits, including a solo home run by Andrew McCutchen that gave them an early lead. The Cubs tied the game with an Ian Happ sacrifice fly and later took the lead with a solo homer by Dansby Swanson off Pirates reliever Ryan Borucki. Burrows, a rookie right-hander, has shown improvement in his starts but continues to be on a pitch count managed closely by the Pirates, who have lost three straight games and played 30 one-run games this season. The Pirates’ bats struggled to provide support, resulting in the narrow defeat despite a strong pitching duel. Meanwhile, in a separate local baseball event, the Minnesota Lake Royals rallied late to defeat the Blue Earth Pirates 6-4, overcoming an early lead by the host team.