CHICAGO -- The music in the cramped Wrigley Field visitor's clubhouse was louder than usual Thursday. The mood a little more jubilant. The atmosphere, a little more like a winning ball club.
The Pirates had just come off of an 8-6 over the Cubs, taking the series. This is a potentially back-breaking series loss for the Cubs, who entered Tuesday in a four-team mix for the final two wild card spots.
And yeah, that visitor's clubhouse knew exactly how much the Cubs needed to win at least one more.
"We f---ed them," a beaming Endy Rodríguez said.
Yeah, don't tell the Pirates they have nothing to play for this deep into the season. That's pride, pure and unadulterated.
The Cubs had been the Pirates' bully all season, winning 10 of their first 11 matchups, including a 14-1 thrashing in the series opener Tuesday. That would usually be a cue for a team to roll over the rest of the series.
That definitely wasn't the energy in the clubhouse, though. The Pirates were treating this stretch of four straight teams in the playoff hunt (the Cubs, Reds, Phillies and Marlins) as a preview for next year. They were in a playoff chase in their minds.
"You would think we were on a five-game winning streak, which is really cool," Mitch Keller said Wednesday. "We’ve been playing really good baseball. One night shouldn’t knock that down or anything like that."
"Doesn't matter the score, the situation, the standings," Joshua Palacios said. "The guys are batting, so just tip the hat to the boys here. They're working hard. They're battling. It makes me excited for next year."
The Cubs, on the other hand, didn't seem to feel the same way about their opponent, at least going based off of the postgame comments from their skipper.
“That’s not a good team that just took 2 out of 3 from us," Cubs manager David Ross told reporters. "Or not our caliber of team I believe. We have to turn it around. It's on me. It's on the guys in the room."
Rodríguez was presumably not aware of Ross' comments at the time when he talked postgame, but had a seemingly perfect retort if he knew what was said.
"We can fight," Rodríguez said. "We don’t have the best team in the league, but we still have the talent to fight for the f---ing playoffs."
Remember this series for the future. If this rivalry is renewed, this series in Chicago could very well be the catalyst.
Game wise, it was certainly playoff quality. The Pirates carried a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh on a couple of Miguel Andújar RBI hits. Johan Oviedo didn't throw a clean 1-2-3 inning all game, but six shutout frames more than did the job.
What followed was a stretch of five straight half innings with at least one run scored, and a rally in the bottom of the eighth brought the Cubs back to within one.
There, Derek Shelton turned to Palacios, who delivered the big blow of the night, a three-run, pinch-hit blast to right-center that quickly started to empty Wrigley Field's bleachers:
HIS NAME IS JOSHUA pic.twitter.com/QvGNhL1o60
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 22, 2023
"I was just hoping he would get the ball in the air, so we could get the runner [on third base] home," Shelton said. "He got the breaking ball that hung."
The Pirates wound up needing that extra insurance after David Bednar allowed a two-run homer in the ninth. Had it not been for Palacios, that could have been one of the toughest losses of the season. Instead, the Pirates got to play the spoiler.
"They beat up on us pretty good this year, so it's good to get some revenge," Palacios said.
Throughout the month, players like Keller and Bryan Reynolds have brought up how this September feels different than previous years. There is no running out the clock with players who just poked their head in to wrap up the season. The majority of this team will be back again next year. That's why so much of the conversation this week has been about competing in 2024.
And if this series is any indication, that seems like a real possibility.
"I think we’re seeing that there’s not a lot of fear there," Shelton said. "This is a playoff-type atmosphere. The crowd was in the game. They got back in the game just because the Cubs kept punching back. I think you saw it from our young players. They continued to go. They continued to play. They continued to execute. It was fun to watch."
The Pirates have three more series remaining and will directly impact the seasons of the Reds and most likely the Marlins. The Pirates' 2024 playoff push preparation isn't ending in just Chicago.
"We’re going to win the next three series and end the year [playing] hard," Rodríguez said.
GETTY
Miguel Andújar picks up a fifth inning RBI single Thursday at Wrigley Field.
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THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), INF Tucupita Marcano (knee), LHP Angel Perdomo (elbow), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow), DH/OF Andrew McCutchen (Achilles)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Connor Joe, DH
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
4. Jack Suwinski, CF
5. Miguel Andújar, RF
6. Jared Triolo, 1B
7. Endy Rodríguez, C
8. Liover Peguero, SS
9. Ji Hwan Bae, 2B
And for David Ross' Cubs:
1. Mike Tauchman, CF
2. Nico Hoerner, 2B
3. Ian Happ, LF
4. Cody Bellinger, 1B
5. Dansby Swanson, SS
6. Seiya Suzuki, RF
7. Christopher Morel, DH
8. Yan Gomes, C
9. Miles Mastrobuoni, 3B
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates are off to Cincinnati for the second leg of their final road trip of the season. Andre Jackson (1-3, 5.40) will take the ball in game one against Andrew Abbott (8-5, 3.68). First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. I'll have you covered.
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