Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates, September 12, 2026

PiratesPIT
3-4
Final
CubsCHC

September 12, 2026, 2:20 PM ET | Wrigley Field

Last 5 Form

Pittsburgh Pirates

3-2

Last 5
W 9-3
@ CWS
W 4-2
@ CWS
W 2-0
@ CWS
L 2-12
@ CHC
L 3-4
@ CHC

Chicago Cubs

2-3

Last 5
L 3-4
@ MIL
L 3-4
@ MIL
L 6-8
@ MIL
W 12-2
vs PIT
W 4-3
vs PIT

Starting Pitchers

Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes headshot
Paul Skenes
Recorded starter

Chicago Cubs

Clay Holmes headshot
Clay Holmes
Recorded starter

Standings Snapshot

Full standings
Season recordsRecord, division and wild card rank, games back. Standings as of Sep 12, 11:25 PM ET
TeamW-LPCTDivWCGB
Pittsburgh Pirates74-75.497#3#519.0
Chicago Cubs83-66.557#2#110.0
PCT
winning percentage
Div
division rank
WC
wild card rank
GB
games back

Season Comparison

2026
Pittsburgh PiratesChicago Cubs
.734
OPS
.767
186
HR
220
767
Runs
850
4.14
ERA
4.12
1.30
WHIP
1.26
1496
Strikeouts by pitchers
1260

Lower is better for ERA and WHIP; bars show each value against the larger of the two.

Top Players

Across up to five recent games with recorded boxscores.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Hitters

Oneil Cruz headshot
Oneil Cruz

8 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI

Bryan Reynolds headshot
Bryan Reynolds

4 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Rafael Flores Jr. headshot
Rafael Flores Jr.

7 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Pitchers

Jared Jones headshot
Jared Jones

7.0 IP, 8 SO, 0.00 ERA

Paul Skenes headshot
Paul Skenes

7.0 IP, 4 SO, 2.57 ERA

Bubba Chandler headshot
Bubba Chandler

6.0 IP, 8 SO, 3.00 ERA

Chicago Cubs

Hitters

Pedro Ramírez headshot
Pedro Ramírez

5 H, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Michael Busch headshot
Michael Busch

4 H, 1 HR, 6 RBI

Alex Bregman headshot
Alex Bregman

7 H, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Pitchers

David Peterson headshot
David Peterson

4.1 IP, 4 SO, 2.08 ERA

Shota Imanaga headshot
Shota Imanaga

6.0 IP, 4 SO, 3.00 ERA

Clay Holmes headshot
Clay Holmes

5.2 IP, 6 SO, 3.18 ERA

Top Performers

Picked by MLBDB from this game's box score. MLB's own list of top performers can differ.

Paul Skenes headshot
Paul Skenes
Pittsburgh Pirates, MLBDB pick
Clay Holmes headshot
Clay Holmes
Chicago Cubs, MLBDB pick
Ryan O'Hearn headshot
Ryan O'Hearn
Pittsburgh Pirates, MLBDB pick

Line Score

Chicago Cubs 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 3: PIT 6 hits, CHC 5 hits; PIT 0 errors, CHC 1 error.

Runs by inningThen runs (R), hits (H) and errors (E) for the game
Team123456789RHE
Pittsburgh Pirates000003000360
Chicago Cubs10100002x451

Box Score

Batting

6 players led Pittsburgh Pirates with 1 hit each.

Pittsburgh Pirates batting
PlayerABRHRBIBBSOHR
Oneil CruzCF5000010
Brandon Lowe2B4110110
Bryan ReynoldsLF5110020
Konnor GriffinSS4000010
Ryan O'HearnDH4113011
Spencer Horwitz1B3010110
Jake MangumRF4000010
Jacob Gonzalez3B2010100
Jared TrioloPH/3B1000000
Henry DavisC1000200
Rafael Flores Jr.PH1010000
Totals34363581

Pedro Ramírez led Chicago Cubs with 2 hits and 1 home run and 1 RBI.

Chicago Cubs batting
PlayerABRHRBIBBSOHR
Pete Crow-ArmstrongCF4000020
Alex Bregman3B2110000
Michael Busch1B3111011
Seiya SuzukiPH0000100
BJ Murray Jr.1B0000000
Ian HappLF2000100
Matt ShawPH/RF0001100
Nico HoernerSS3011000
Michael ConfortoDH4000020
Carson KellyC3000000
Pedro Ramírez2B3221001
Tyrone TaylorRF/LF3000010
Totals27454362

Pitching

Paul Skenes went 7.0 innings for Pittsburgh Pirates (4 SO, 2 ER); Clay Holmes went 5.2 innings for Chicago Cubs (6 SO, 2 ER).

Pitching lines
PitcherIPHRERBBSOHR
Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes7.0422142
Gregory Soto1.0122220
Chicago Cubs
Clay Holmes5.2532461
Jacob Webb1.1000110
Ryan Rolison1.2100000
Ryan Zeferjahn0.1000010
AB
at-bats
R
runs
H
hits
RBI
runs batted in
BB
walks
SO
strikeouts
HR
home runs
IP
innings pitched
ER
earned runs

Scoring Summary

  • B1

    Home Run Michael Busch homers (19) on a fly ball to center field. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • B3

    Home Run Pedro Ramírez homers (6) on a fly ball to right center field. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T6

    Home Run Ryan O'Hearn homers (18) on a fly ball to right field. Brandon Lowe scores. Bryan Reynolds scores. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B8

    Walk Matt Shaw walks. Pedro Ramírez scores. Alex Bregman to 3rd. Seiya Suzuki to 2nd. PIT 3, CHC 3

  • B8

    Hit By Pitch Nico Hoerner hit by pitch. Alex Bregman scores. Seiya Suzuki to 3rd. Matt Shaw to 2nd. PIT 3, CHC 4

Play-by-Play

All 72 recorded plate appearances, newest first.

  • T9

    Strikeout Bryan Reynolds challenged (pitch result), call on the field was confirmed: Bryan Reynolds called out on strikes. PIT 3, CHC 4

  • T9

    Flyout Brandon Lowe flies out to right fielder Matt Shaw. PIT 3, CHC 4

  • T9

    Lineout Oneil Cruz lines out to left fielder Tyrone Taylor. PIT 3, CHC 4

  • T9

    Single Rafael Flores Jr. singles on a ground ball to third baseman Alex Bregman. PIT 3, CHC 4

  • B8

    Strikeout Michael Conforto strikes out swinging. PIT 3, CHC 4

  • B8

    Hit By Pitch Nico Hoerner hit by pitch. Alex Bregman scores. Seiya Suzuki to 3rd. Matt Shaw to 2nd. PIT 3, CHC 4

  • B8

    Walk Matt Shaw walks. Pedro Ramírez scores. Alex Bregman to 3rd. Seiya Suzuki to 2nd. PIT 3, CHC 3

  • B8

    Walk Seiya Suzuki walks. Pedro Ramírez to 3rd. Alex Bregman to 2nd. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B8

    Hit By Pitch Alex Bregman hit by pitch. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B8

    Strikeout Pete Crow-Armstrong challenged (pitch result), call on the field was confirmed: Pete Crow-Armstrong called out on strikes. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B8

    Flyout Tyrone Taylor flies out to right fielder Jake Mangum. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B8

    Double Pedro Ramírez doubles (12) on a sharp line drive to left fielder Bryan Reynolds. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T8

    Lineout Jared Triolo lines out to right fielder Tyrone Taylor. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T8

    Lineout Jake Mangum lines out to left fielder Ian Happ. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T8

    Groundout Spencer Horwitz grounds out, second baseman Pedro Ramírez to first baseman Michael Busch. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B7

    Groundout Carson Kelly grounds out sharply, shortstop Konnor Griffin to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B7

    Strikeout Michael Conforto strikes out on a foul tip. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B7

    Flyout Nico Hoerner flies out to left fielder Bryan Reynolds. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T7

    Groundout Ryan O'Hearn grounds out to first baseman Michael Busch. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T7

    Strikeout Konnor Griffin strikes out swinging. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T7

    Forceout Bryan Reynolds grounds into a force out, shortstop Nico Hoerner to second baseman Pedro Ramírez. Brandon Lowe out at 2nd. Bryan Reynolds to 1st. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T7

    Walk Brandon Lowe walks. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B6

    Flyout Ian Happ flies out to center fielder Oneil Cruz. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B6

    Grounded Into DP Michael Busch grounds into a double play, first baseman Spencer Horwitz to shortstop Konnor Griffin to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. Alex Bregman out at 2nd. Michael Busch out at 1st. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • B6

    Single Alex Bregman singles on a ground ball to left fielder Bryan Reynolds. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T6

    Groundout Oneil Cruz grounds out, second baseman Pedro Ramírez to first baseman Michael Busch. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T6

    Walk Henry Davis walks. Jacob Gonzalez to 2nd. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T6

    Single Jacob Gonzalez singles on a ground ball to center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Spencer Horwitz to 3rd. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T6

    Flyout Jake Mangum flies out to left fielder Ian Happ. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T6

    Walk Spencer Horwitz walks. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T6

    Home Run Ryan O'Hearn homers (18) on a fly ball to right field. Brandon Lowe scores. Bryan Reynolds scores. PIT 3, CHC 2

  • T6

    Flyout Konnor Griffin flies out to right fielder Tyrone Taylor. Brandon Lowe to 3rd. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T6

    Fielders Choice Bryan Reynolds reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by shortstop Nico Hoerner. Brandon Lowe to 2nd. Brandon Lowe advances to 2nd, on a fielding error by shortstop Nico Hoerner. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T6

    Single Brandon Lowe singles on a ground ball to right fielder Tyrone Taylor. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B5

    Groundout Pete Crow-Armstrong grounds out sharply, first baseman Spencer Horwitz to pitcher Paul Skenes. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B5

    Strikeout Tyrone Taylor strikes out swinging. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B5

    Pop Out Pedro Ramírez pops out to shortstop Konnor Griffin. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T5

    Groundout Oneil Cruz grounds out sharply to first baseman Michael Busch. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T5

    Walk Henry Davis walks. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T5

    Groundout Jacob Gonzalez grounds out, shortstop Nico Hoerner to first baseman Michael Busch. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T5

    Groundout Jake Mangum grounds out, shortstop Nico Hoerner to first baseman Michael Busch. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B4

    Groundout Carson Kelly grounds out, shortstop Konnor Griffin to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B4

    Grounded Into DP Michael Conforto grounds into a double play, second baseman Brandon Lowe to shortstop Konnor Griffin to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. Ian Happ to 3rd. Nico Hoerner out at 2nd. Michael Conforto out at 1st. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B4

    Single Nico Hoerner singles on a line drive to right fielder Jake Mangum. Ian Happ to 2nd. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B4

    Walk Ian Happ walks. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T4

    Strikeout Spencer Horwitz strikes out swinging. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T4

    Groundout Ryan O'Hearn grounds out, shortstop Nico Hoerner to first baseman Michael Busch. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T4

    Flyout Konnor Griffin flies out to right fielder Tyrone Taylor. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B3

    Strikeout Michael Busch strikes out swinging. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B3

    Hit By Pitch Alex Bregman hit by pitch. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B3

    Lineout Pete Crow-Armstrong lines out to right fielder Jake Mangum. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B3

    Flyout Tyrone Taylor flies out to center fielder Oneil Cruz. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • B3

    Home Run Pedro Ramírez homers (6) on a fly ball to right center field. PIT 0, CHC 2

  • T3

    Strikeout Bryan Reynolds called out on strikes. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • T3

    Groundout Brandon Lowe grounds out to first baseman Michael Busch. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • T3

    Flyout Oneil Cruz flies out to center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • B2

    Lineout Carson Kelly lines out softly to first baseman Spencer Horwitz in foul territory. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • B2

    Flyout Michael Conforto flies out to left fielder Bryan Reynolds. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • B2

    Groundout Nico Hoerner grounds out softly, shortstop Konnor Griffin to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • T2

    Forceout Henry Davis grounds into a force out, fielded by second baseman Pedro Ramírez. Jacob Gonzalez out at 2nd. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • T2

    Walk Jacob Gonzalez walks. Spencer Horwitz to 2nd. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • T2

    Strikeout Jake Mangum strikes out swinging. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • T2

    Single Spencer Horwitz singles on a line drive to right fielder Tyrone Taylor. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • T2

    Strikeout Ryan O'Hearn strikes out swinging. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • B1

    Groundout Ian Happ grounds out, first baseman Spencer Horwitz to pitcher Paul Skenes. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • B1

    Home Run Michael Busch homers (19) on a fly ball to center field. PIT 0, CHC 1

  • B1

    Groundout Alex Bregman grounds out, shortstop Konnor Griffin to first baseman Spencer Horwitz. PIT 0, CHC 0

  • B1

    Strikeout Pete Crow-Armstrong strikes out swinging. PIT 0, CHC 0

  • T1

    Forceout Konnor Griffin grounds into a force out, shortstop Nico Hoerner to second baseman Pedro Ramírez. Bryan Reynolds out at 2nd. PIT 0, CHC 0

  • T1

    Single Bryan Reynolds singles on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Ian Happ. PIT 0, CHC 0

  • T1

    Strikeout Brandon Lowe strikes out swinging. PIT 0, CHC 0

  • T1

    Strikeout Oneil Cruz strikes out swinging. PIT 0, CHC 0