Bell rings up grand slam in 2nd at-bat

Pirates bombard Cubs pitching with four homers in romp

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Josh Bell hit a grand slam in his second major-league at bat, one of four homers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 12-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night.

Bell slugged a 1-1 pitch from Adam Warren (3-2) over the seats perched above the 21-foot wall in right for his second pinch-hit in two games since being recalled from Triple-A on Friday.

Bell slugged a 1-1 pitch from Adam Warren (3-2) over the seats perched above the 21-foot wall in right for his second pinch-hit in as two games since being recalled from Triple-A on Friday. Jordy Mercer followed with a home run to make it a five-run fifth for the Pirates, who have won nine of 10 and 12 of their last 15.

Andrew McCutchen and Sean Rodriguez homered earlier off suddenly struggling Cubs starter Jon Lester, the National League pitcher of the month for June. Lester has allowed 13 runs in 41/3 innings in July.

Ben Zobrist had a two-run homer and Anthony Rizzo had four hits for Chicago, which has lost of nine of 10 and seen its lead in the NL Central cut to 61/2 games.

Chad Kuhl lasted only 21/3 innings in his third major-league start, surrendering Zobrist’s 13th home run among seven hits allowed. Arquimedes Caminero (1-2) was one of the few pitchers on either team who pitched effectively through the game’s first six innings, striking out three in 12/3 innings.

Both bullpens, however, settled down in the final three innings. Jared Hughes earned his third major-league save by pitching three scoreless innings.

At least one run was scored during eight of the first 11 half-innings played on a night in which the city of Pittsburgh celebrated its bicentennial. A 25-minute fireworks display set off just a few hundred yards away at the city’s Point State Park provided a soundtrack of regular rumbling booms throughout the fifth inning in which Bell and Mercer thrilled the Pirates’ third sellout crowd of the season even more.

Over the past 10 days, the Pirates have scaled more than half of the 14-game hole it had dug in the NL Central. Before Saturday’s game, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said that he learned from former mentor John McNamara long ago that once a division lead became fewer than seven games, it was no longer safe.

The Cubs’ NL Central lead hasn’t been this small since the final day of May.

ROSTER MOVE

The Cubs recalled INF Munenori Kawasaki from Triple-A and Saturday and optioned INF Jeimer Candelario to Iowa. Maddon said the move was made to give the team a more experienced bat off the bench.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: OF Gregory Polanco did not play a day after being removed from a win because of an aggravation of nagging left hamstring tightness. Manager Clint Hurdle indicated Polanco likely won’t start Sunday, either. ... 2B Josh Harrison was lifted from the game in the third inning. The team termed the reason as “left foot discomfort.”