Pirates Look to Avoid Another Wrigley Beatdown After Yesterday's 12-2 Shellacking

The Pirates limp back to Wrigley this afternoon still nursing wounds from yesterday's 12-2 humiliation, a game that made DarkHorse's Pirates +1.5 pick look foolish by the third inning. When you get boat-raced by ten runs as a road dog, the natural instinct is to assume regression is coming. But let's pump the brakes on that narrative.

Chicago's bats absolutely erupted in that laugher, and while the Pirates' pitching staff got shelled, there's no guarantee they'll bounce back with any urgency in the series finale. Pittsburgh has shown all the fight of a team playing out the string in September, and getting embarrassed on national television doesn't suddenly inject pride into a lost season. The Cubs, meanwhile, just put up a dozen runs and have every reason to keep their foot on the gas if they catch another whiff of blood.

The concerning part for any Pirates backers is simple: there's no recent evidence this team can stop the bleeding once it starts. They've been outscored badly in their last handful, and yesterday's drubbing might've been the final straw for whatever competitive spirit remained. Without a published DarkHorse lean yet, the sharper move might be waiting to see if the number gets truly disrespectful before nibbling. This feels like Cubs or pass.