Chicago White Sox at Pittsburgh Pirates: Final Score & Recap

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Chicago White Sox 13-9 at PNC Park on April 7, 2023, in a high-scoring affair that saw the DiamondIQ model's estimate of a Pirates win climb from 54 percent before first pitch to a virtual certainty at game's end. Pittsburgh built its advantage through a series of decisive swings, with the contest effectively turning in the middle innings. The Pirates entered the day as a slight home favorite, and their offense validated that edge in emphatic fashion across a 19-hit performance.

The game's single most consequential moment came in the bottom of the fourth, when Bryan Reynolds launched a home run off Lucas Giolito that shifted win probability by 25.9 percent in Pittsburgh's favor. Reynolds was not finished, however, as he followed with a triple in the bottom of the fifth off Jimmy Lambert worth another 18.7 percent swing, giving him a combined WPA of plus-48.3 and an RE24 of plus-5.0 — by far the most impactful offensive performance of the night. Chicago mounted periodic resistance, most notably in the top of the third when Jake Burger and Luis Robert Jr. each homered off Rich Hill, each play generating an 18.4 percent favorable swing for the White Sox, and Robert added another solo shot in the fifth worth 18.6 percent. Despite those contributions pushing Robert to a WPA of plus-37.7 and Burger to plus-19.8, Chicago's pitching staff could not contain Pittsburgh's lineup.

On the mound, Dauri Moreta was the standout reliever for Pittsburgh, contributing plus-8.3 percent WPA in his appearance, while Wil Crowe added plus-1.5 percent. The final line score told the story of a game that was briefly competitive through three innings before Pittsburgh's fourth-inning surge of four runs and fifth-inning cushion of five more put the outcome beyond reach. The White Sox scored twice in the ninth against a locked-in Pittsburgh bullpen, but the damage had long been done.