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Pirates take rubber match from Cubs

Sep 15, 2014 - 3:09 AM Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Neil Walker went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI and was part of an around-the-horn triple play that sparked the Pittsburgh Pirates' 7-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Josh Harrison began the triple play and hit a two-run double during a pivotal six-run fifth inning for the playoff-hopeful Pirates, who bounced back from a 3-0 deficit to take the rubber match of this three-game series.

Edinson Volquez (12-7) stretched his unbeaten streak to 10 straight starts with seven effective but laborious innings. He walked five and gave up four hits and three runs, though only one was earned.

Pittsburgh still holds the second wild card spot in the NL.

Jacob Turner (5-10) was knocked around for seven runs on seven hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings for the Cubs, who have lost eight of their last nine.

Volquez only had himself to blame in giving up two runs in the second frame. He walked Luis Valbuena and Mike Olt, and his throwing error on a chopper back to the left side allowed Valbuena to score.

John Baker plated Olt with a sacrifice fly, Chris Coghlan knocked in Javier Baez with another sac fly in the third, and the Cubs threatened by putting their first two hitters on in the fourth.

Volquez got out of the jam with one pitch, however, as Matt Szczur grounded one sharply to Harrison at third. Harrison stepped on the bag, threw to second for the force out, and Walker whipped it over to first for the rare 5-4-3 triple play.

"It was probably the wrong time I hit the ball hard," Szczur said.

"It was definitely the tipping point of the game," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Walker then got the Pirates on the board with a solo shot in the bottom half, and the hosts sent 12 hitters to the plate in the game-changing fifth.

Harrison plated a pair with a double to left and scored the go-ahead run on Travis Snider's two-bagger.

Walker, Gaby Sanchez and Gregory Polanco all added RBI hits in the inning, and the Pirates held on from there.

Game Notes

The Pirates turned an around-the-horn triple play for the first time since July 23, 1979 ... Walker's 20 home runs is the most in a season by a Pirates second baseman ... Volquez improved to 7-0 in his career against the Cubs ... Chicago snapped a streak of nine straight games with an error ... Pittsburgh won the season series 14-5.