Pirates fall to Cubs, 5-1, after Hayes' injury taken in Chicago (Pirates)

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Jacob Stallings tags out the Cubs’ Willson Contreras in the fifth inning Saturday in Chicago.

CHICAGO -- Things didn’t improve much for the Pirates after they lost Ke’Bryan Hayes on Saturday.

The Pirates failed to generate much offense as they fell to the Cubs, 5-1, at Wrigley Field in the second game of the season. Hayes scored the club’s only run on Kevin Newman’s seeing-eye single in the opening inning. But he was lifted with left wrist discomfort in the third.

Facing former Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta (1-0), the Pirates had six hits from six different batters and couldn’t muster a base runner  with seven strikeouts against three Cubs relievers. They failed to produce many situations with runners in scoring position and delivered just one hit in three opportunities.

Arrieta lasted six innings and gave up a run on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts in his return to Wrigley Field.

Pirates starter Tyler Anderson (0-1) wasn’t terribly consistent, but he kept the Pirates in the game for five innings. The lefty allowed three runs on five hits and a pair of walks, but struck out seven in his first start of the season.

Kris Bryant made Anderson pay for a fastball left over the heart of the plate in the third inning, launching a 404-foot solo shot to straightaway center. In the previous frame, Javier Baez singled, stole his way to third, then scored on Jake Marisnick’s bloop single to right. The Cubs added another run in that inning on David Bote’s sacrifice fly.

Luis Oviedo got a pair of groundouts during a perfect eighth inning in his major league debut. The Rule 5 right-hander fanned Ian Happ to complete the frame. Wil Crowe was all over the place in his Pirates debut. Crowe mixed in a couple wild pitches while issuing back-to-back walks to Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, then Baez capitalized with a run-scoring single through the left side. The 26-year-old managed to strike out Willson Contreras and Joc Pederson before giving way to Michael Feliz.

Clay Holmes did not fare as well in his second outing of the season. Jason Heyward demolished a solo shot 423 feet into the bleachers in right-center to give the Cubs an insurance run in the sixth. The sinkerballer also got two outs on the ground Saturday after pitching a perfect fifth in Thursday's opener.

More coverage to come from Chicago.

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