Embattled Pirates closer Mark Melancon is suddenly a little less embattled, courtesy of a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close down the Cubs on Thursday for his third save.
Melancon turned an 8-6 lead into a 9-8 defeat Tuesday as his velocity was down and he struggled to throw strikes. But he needed only 10 pitches (seven strikes) to dispatch Pittsburgh's NL Central rival, striking out Addison Russell in the process.
The right-hander is still saddled with a 7.36 ERA.