Pittsburgh Pirates beat Chicago Cubs 12-1 as Esmerlyn Valdez homered and drove in 3 runs

Result and standings

Of the Pittsburgh Pirates' 9 innings at bat, 5 included at least 1 run. A 5-run 1st was the club's largest inning. On the mound, the Pittsburgh Pirates kept the Chicago Cubs scoreless in 8 of 9 innings. The final margin was 11 runs.

In the bottom of the 1st, Bryan Reynolds drove in 2 runs with a double. The play put the Pittsburgh Pirates ahead to stay, 2-0.

The standings for May 26, 2026 listed the Pittsburgh Pirates at 29-26, 4th in the division and 4.5 games back.

At the plate

Esmerlyn Valdez had 1 hit in 4 at-bats with 1 run, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and 1 walk. Spencer Horwitz collected 2 hits across 3 at-bats with 1 run, 1 home run, and 2 RBIs. Bryan Reynolds went 2-for-4 with 2 runs, 2 doubles, and 2 RBIs.

Oneil Cruz collected 3 hits across 3 at-bats with 1 run and 1 RBI. Nick Gonzales went 2-for-5 with 2 runs, 1 double, and 1 RBI. Brandon Lowe finished 2-for-4 with 2 runs. The Pittsburgh Pirates got at least 1 hit from 9 batters and finished with 15 hits. They also drew 2 walks. 5 hits went for extra bases.

On the mound

Braxton Ashcraft threw 95 pitches across 6⅓ innings, allowing 7 hits and 1 run, walking 1 and striking out 5. Across 9 innings, the Pittsburgh Pirates' staff threw 138 pitches, allowed 8 hits and 1 run, issued 2 walks, and recorded 9 strikeouts.