5-run first inning, Esmerlyn Valdez's homer help Pirates hammer Cubs
PITTSBURGH - When Esmerlyn Valdez hit his first major league homer in Toronto, his family wasn't able to see. On Tuesday, with his family watching him play in the majors for the first time, Valdez made sure to put on a show.
Valdez blasted a no-doubt two-run home run off Chicago Cubs starter Jordan Wicks as part of the Pirates' five-run first inning, helping his team roll to an easy 12-1 win against the Cubs on Tuesday night at PNC Park.
The Pirates have now won three in a row. The Cubs have lost 10 straight.
The Pirates have struggled against lefties this year, but those struggles didn't extend to Wicks, a 26-year-old making his first start of the season. They tagged Wicks for eight runs - five in the first, three more in the fifth - to cruise to the win.
The damage started early. Konnor Griffin, batting leadoff for the first time in his major league career, walked before advancing to third on a Brandon Lowe single. Bryan Reynolds followed with a double down the left-field line, scoring both and giving the Pirates more offense than they've had in seven of their starts against lefties this year.
The Pirates only added on from there. Oneil Cruz singled home Reynolds, part of a 3-for-3 day, before Valdez followed with his second homer (and second hit) of his career. The ball flew into the Cubs bullpen, a shot that all knew would leave the park.
With Braxton Ashcraft pitching, five runs always seemed enough. Ashcraft allowed one run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out five. He wasn't dominant but did more than enough to keep the Cubs off the board.
He also pitched around some subpar defense. The Pirates committed three errors - fielding errors from Cruz and Griffin and a throwing error from Henry Davis - but none of the errors resulted in a run. Cruz also bumped into Reynolds on a grounder and slipped throwing the ball in, but no mistake resulted in a run.
It was over when ...
A five-run first felt secure with Ashcraft pitching and the Cubs on a losing streak, but adding three more in the fifth secured the victory. Nick Gonzales had an RBI single, Valdez had a bases loaded walk and Spencer Horwitz had a sacrifice fly to deep center to extend the Pirates' lead to seven.
An error scored Griffin from second in the sixth, while Horwitz added a solo homer in the seventh. They scored two more in the eighth on a Jake Mangum groundout and Marcell Ozuna's RBI single.
On the mound
The outing was actually the shortest of Ashcraft's month. He's completed more than six innings in all five of his starts in May, combining for a 1.91 ERA.
He allowed two singles in the seventh before he was pulled. Brandan Bidois retired all five hitters he faced in relief.
At the plate
The Pirates had 15 hits, stranding just seven runners. They went 6 for 14 with runners in scoring position, snapping a stretch of four consecutive games without one.
Reynolds doubled and scored twice.
Bucs Bites
- Jared Jones threw a bullpen before the game, but manager Don Kelly did not have an update when he met with reporters. Jones took fielding practice with the other pitchers after his bullpen.
- Kelly was somewhat surprised to find he leads the National League in ejections, but maintained Monday's ejection (on Griffin's near-hit by pitch) was justified. "(When) a call goes against us it isn't the right call, I'm going to stand up for our guys and our team," Kelly said. "I think that yes, I can be quiet and have a more lowkey demeanor. I'm also a competitor."
- Cubs manager Craig Counsell was ejected in the ninth inning with his team trailing 12-1. Kevin Alcantara wanted to challenge a called strike three, but first base umpire Dan Merzel ruled he had swung.
- Ozuna was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts before his RBI single in the eighth, drawing boos despite a big lead.
Up next
The Pirates have secured at least a series split, but go for an outright win at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday. Bubba Chandler (1-6, 4.60) will face Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (2-4, 5.20).
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 10:04 PM.