The Pirates simply couldn’t throw the knockout punch as the Cubs scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to win Saturday afternoon’s game, 7-6, at Wrigley Field. The loss extended the Pirates' losing streak to five games.

Up 6-4 in the final frame, Pirates reliever Chris Stratton was unable to bring the victory home, allowing a single to Matt Duffy and a two-out walk to Sergio Alcántara. Both of them scored, the first on a single from Alfonso Rivas and the second from Rafael Ortega, a line drive that ticked off the glove of Ben Gamel in right field.

It looked like a catchable ball. It was unclear whether Gamel lost the ball in the lights or simply slipped trying to make the play.

“It was a hard play. He is a great outfielder. … He makes that play a lot,” said Pirates reliever Chasen Shreve, who pitched two shutout innings. "A couple of things didn’t go our way. All I can [say is], we’ll be ready tomorrow.”

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The next batter, Frank Schwindel, reached base on an infield single on a ground ball to shortstop Kevin Newman, allowing pinch-runner Andrew Romine to score the winning run when Newman's throw took first baseman Colin Moran off the bag. At first, it appeared that Moran tagged Schwindel to send the game into extra innings, but after the Pirates challenged the original safe call, it was reviewed and confirmed. Safe at first, Cubs win. Game over.

“I only saw what was on the board,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I would trust what Colin says. So I’ll ask and see what Colin says. But from our angle, it looked like he tagged him. It’s not how it went, [according to the umpires].”

In the early innings, it looked like Pittsburgh was in for a long day. The Pirates were down, 3-1, entering the fifth inning and facing Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who was dealing up to that point.

But he lost control of his pitches in the fifth, loading the bases and walking Moran to score Phil Evans. Hendricks then hit Anthony Alford to score Cole Tucker, ending his afternoon early.

After a wild pitch scored another run, a two-run single from Wilmer Difo against Chicago reliever Trevor Megill gave the Pirates a five-run inning and a three-run lead.

"We continued to battle,” Shelton said of his club's effort. “… We had good ABs. We put up [a] five spot up and down the lineup. It started with Phil’s pinch-hit walk. A lot of good things happened there. But the thing is, when we get five that inning, we have to continue to grind through it and give us more run-scoring opportunities. We didn’t do that, [either].”