Pirates 3 - 4 Cubs
Final/11
  for this game

Navarro lifts Cubs over Pirates in extras

Jul 8, 2013 - 1:31 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Dioner Navarro and the Chicago Cubs capitalized on a pair of Pittsburgh Pirates errors to earn a 4-3 win in 11 innings in the rubber match of a three-game series.

After Russell Martin's throwing error put a runner on third with no outs in the 11th, Navarro sent a deep fly ball to right field to score Anthony Rizzo and win the game.

Starling Marte hit a two-out, game-tying home run in the ninth inning for the Pirates, who lost their second straight game after winning 11 of their previous 13.

"We're going to battle until the end," said Martin. "We've done it all year. Marte had a super clutch at-bat right there. When you come from behind late in the game like that, you always have that good feeling -- feeling like you're going to win the game -- but the Cubs battled back. They scrapped a win away from us."

Rizzo and Alfonso Soriano started the bottom of the 11th with a pair of opposite-field singles. Luis Valbuena looked to bunt the runners to second and third, but Martin tried to catch Rizzo straying from second. His pickoff went wide into center field, however, and allowed both runners to advance.

Bryan Morris (4-3) intentionally walked Valbuena to load the bases for Navarro, who entered as a pinch-hitter. Navarro got down to two strikes, but hit a slider sharply to right field where Jose Tabata made the catch, but the ball was deep enough to plate Rizzo.

Matt Guerrier (3-4) earned his first win with the Cubs after tossing two scoreless innings in relief.

"It was nice beating the best team in baseball, basically," said Cubs manager Dale Sveum. "Had some timely hits, caught the ball and did a good job."

Chicago jumped in front early with some help from Pittsburgh.

Pitcher Carlos Villanueva started the bottom of the third inning with a base hit and moved to third when Starlin Castro slammed a double to the right-field gap. Villanueva scored and Castro moved to third when Pirates first baseman Garrett Jones mishandled Rizzo's ground ball, and Soriano took advantage of the miscue and scored Castro with a sacrifice fly.

Pittsburgh cut the lead in half in the fourth, when Tabata and Andrew McCutchen delivered back-to-back doubles, then tied the game in the fifth. Tabata hit a double just past Soriano's outstretched glove and off the base of the left-field wall to score Marte, who reached base on a fielder's choice.

Scott Hairston hit a pinch-hit home run well past the center-field wall to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead in the seventh.

Marte fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches before crushing a sinker over the left-field wall to tie the game at 3-3 in the ninth and hand Kevin Gregg his second blown save this season.

Game Notes

Chicago has won five of its last seven series ... The Cubs have homered in their last nine home games ... Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney committed an error in the 10th inning. It was the reigning Gold Glove winner's first in 75 games, a streak dating back to last season ... Pittsburgh went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and Chicago went 0-for-3 in those situations ... Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett received a no-decision after giving up two runs -- one earned -- on three hits in five innings ... Villanueva gave up one run on three hits in four innings.






Related News