Cubs defeat Pirates, 3-2, notching 5th consecutive win as Matt Duffy and Jayson Heyward lead late rally

CHICAGO — Matt Duffy’s seventh inning RBI single sent the Cubs to a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday before a crowd of 10,343 at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs won their fifth straight game, moving over the .500 mark again at 17-16.

With the game tied 2-2 in the seventh, Jason Heyward lead off with a walk before stealing second base and coming home on Duffy’s two-out, pinch single to right. Heyward’s headfirst slide barely beat the throw, and replay confirmed the call on the go-ahead run after a review.

Rookie Keegan Thompson recorded his first major league win with three innings of scoreless relief and closer Craig Kimbrel notched his sixth save with a scoreless ninth.

The Cubs grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Pirates starter Will Crowe hit Willson Contreras with the bases loaded and one out. But they couldn’t push any more runs home, and the Pirates jumped ahead in the fourth on Káai Tom’s two-run home run off Trevor Williams, the first of Tom’s career.

Singles by Contreras and David Bote in the bottom of the fourth preceded a sacrifice fly by Eric Sogard, tying the game at 2-2.

Thompson, who threw 3 2/3 shutout innings Tuesday in his major league debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers, replaced Williams in the fifth and shut down the Pirates on two hits before turning it over to Andrew Chafin.

Kimbrel didn’t pitch in the ninth inning of Friday’s 3-2 win, when Rex Brothers survived to post his first save since Sept. 29, 2013, with the Colorado Rockies.

After the game, Cubs manager David Ross said Kimbrel was “down” and not injured, but wouldn’t reveal why he was unavailable and became defensive when pressed.

“There’s a big competitive advantage to how much I tell you guys,” Ross said. “I gave you guys a lot, I think, in telling you the bullpen was short. So can we just leave it at that?”

The decision to avoid using Kimbrel caused some Cubs fans to fear the worst and Twitter was abuzz with speculation.

Asked about Kimbrel’s availability on a teleconference before Saturday’s game, Ross repeated the closer was “down” on Friday.

“I think it was five (appearances) out of seven (games) for him, so it was more workload induced (rest) than anything,” Ross said.

Kimbrel had a week of rest between April 22 and 29 before the five appearances in seven games. But there also was an off day for the Cubs on Thursday, so he was rested.

Kimbrel had five saves in 13 appearances with an 0.69 ERA going into Saturday, along with 21 strikeouts in 13 innings. Last year he threw 15 1/3 total innings in 18 appearances during the 60-game season, with a 5.28 ERA, losing his closer’s role.

The Cubs could be trying to limit his innings because of the relative lack of work in 2020, and he also may be a valuable trade chip before the July 31 deadline. The Cubs have to ensure he’s healthy to get the best return.

Brothers’ seven-year, 220-day span between saves was the second-longest for a Cubs reliever, according to Elias.

Jeff Fassero went seven years, 279 days between saves from June 30, 1993, when he was with the Montreal Expos, to April 5, 2001, when he faced the Expos with the Cubs.

The 33-year-old Brothers, who was released by the Cubs in 2016 during spring training, has a 3.00 ERA in 14 games and struck out 21 of the 51 batters he’s faced.

Brothers said Saturday he told Ross to get on him if he was slacking off at any time.

“I remember being a rookie (in Colorado) and getting into some trouble in games, falling behind on counts, and I’d look over at Todd (Helton), and Todd would give me a stern look, ‘Let’s go,’ ” Brothers said. “I always seemed to respond pretty well to that, so I just told ‘Rossy’: ‘Let me know if you need more out of me. If you see me slacking, just flat out tell me I’ve got to pick it up or just be better.

“Throughout my life I feel like I’ve responded better that way.”

Ross said it was a “good lesson” for the manager to know.

“Sometimes guys just need a kick in the rear end and pushed a little harder, and can handle a little more honesty than maybe you give him credit for,” Ross said. “(He’s) just a guy that wanted me to demand more out of him. He seems like a guy that’s pushes himself, you’d think, without needing any extra affirmation from me, but just a little kick in the rear end is not bad from my seat.”

Has it happened yet?

“Not yet,” Brothers said, laughing. “But I’m sure there’ll be a day, whenever I need that little shove or nudge. But not yet.”