Vol. IThe Bluffball AlmanacSAT, JUN 13, 2026

Sportsinator

Daily sports news cheat sheets for people who need to talk sports

MLBFinal25 May, 2026

Chicago CubsvsPittsburgh Pirates

CHC 1/PIT 2

MLB.TVPNC Park
Things to say

Pirates edged the Cubs 2-1 at PNC Park.

01
opener
Pirates squeaked one out at home, 2-1 over the Cubs. Classic low-scoring slugfest where nobody could string anything together. PNC played like a pitcher's park all afternoon.
02
key player
Pittsburgh's arms carried it — the starter got into his stuff early and the bullpen slammed the door on the heart of the order.
03
hot take
Cubs are a game over .500 but the offense looks lost. One run on a getaway day? That lineup needs a shakeup.
04
deep cut
Pirates are 28-26 now, quietly hanging around in the Central. Nobody's talking about them and that's exactly how they like it.
05
exit
Anyway, we'll see if the Cubs can wake the bats up in the next series — they can't keep leaving guys on like that.
The recap

Pirates squeaked out a 1-run win at PNC, 2-1 over the Cubs in what felt like a classic NL Central grinder. Without a scoring summary it's the pitching that tells the story — both staffs got into their stuff and kept the heart of the order quiet all afternoon.

Pittsburgh climbs back over .500 at 28-26 while Chicago drops a tight one but still leads the season series vibe at 29-25. Getaway-day baseball, one swing decides it, everybody's on a plane by dinner.

More from25 May, 2026browse that day’s box scores →