Cubs manager Ross positive for virus before team's win over Pirates

After he was ejected, Cubs bench coach Andy Green contemplated how he might pass along his fine to manager David Ross or president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

"It'll probably fall to me though, truth be told," a grinning Green said.

Green took over as manager after Ross and Hoyer tested positive for COVID-19, but he was thrown out in the sixth inning of the Cubs' 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.

Michael Hermosillo homered and drove in 3 runs, leading the Cubs to their fourth consecutive win. Frank Schwindel also connected, and Ian Happ had 3 more hits on a wet afternoon at Wrigley Field.

A spokesman for the team said Ross and Hoyer are feeling fine in isolation. Both are vaccinated.

Green, in his second season on the job, is running the team while Ross is away. But Green was ejected by Tom Hallion after he went out to second base hoping to convince the umpires to review Kevin Newman's slide on a potential double play.

Green wasn't sure who managed the team after he was thrown out. He guessed pitching coach Tommy Hottovy.

"I didn't stick around to find out. ... At this point in time, your guess is as good as mine," he said.

Before the game, Green talked about the team's situation off the field.

"At this point and time, all of (Ross') close contacts have been tested today and we have no positive tests within the clubhouse," Green said. "So our expectation is that everybody on our roster's ready to go and ready to play."

The Cubs are among a handful of big-league teams that have failed to reach the 85% vaccination threshold required for the relaxation of MLB's COVID-19 protocols.

Green said the team is planning to make some changes in light of the pair of positive tests. He also said there were no conversations about canceling Friday's game.

"We take COVID incredibly seriously around here," Green said. "We're going to do a number of things and not just test his close contacts. We're going to try to reduce our time in the clubhouse over the coming week, to try to mitigate as much as humanly possible the spread of it."

Anthony Alford hit a pair of long home runs for last-place Pittsburgh, which dropped its fourth straight game. Hoy Park also went deep.

"Eventually, I'm going to get hot," Alford said. "The biggest thing is just swing decision and not missing the pitches that's in the zone."

The Pirates trailed 5-0 after four innings, but Alford capped a 3-run sixth with a tying 2-run homer - a massive drive to a green roof in center that chased Alec Mills. Alford has 4 homers this year and 7 for his career after his first multihomer game.

"This guy's really strong," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. "When he hits it, it goes a long way. I think comfort and confidence plays a part in that."

Schwindel got the lead back for the Cubs with a one-out drive in the bottom half on a 3-0 pitch from Shelby Miller (0-1). Schwindel also singled in Hermosillo in the second.

Trevor Megill (1-0), Codi Heuer and Rowan Wick combined for 3⅓ hitless innings after Mills departed. Megill got four outs for his first major-league win, and Rowan Wick struck out the side in the ninth for his second save.

Megill was forced to switch gloves before the start of the seventh.

"I think the color of it was too close to white for that crew," Green said. "There's some latitude in that rule."

Hermosillo helped the Cubs get off to a fast start with a 2-run single with two outs in the second. He led off the fourth with his third homer, a drive to left-center against Steven Brault.

Happ singled in the third, doubled in the fifth and singled again in the seventh. The switch hitter is batting .342 (25-for-73) in his last 20 games, raising his average to .208 after a rough start to the season.

Green, 44, is in his second season as Ross' bench coach. He managed the San Diego Padres for almost four seasons before he was fired in September 2019.

He said it will be tough not having Ross around.

"He's a lot of fun. He makes the clubhouse a lively place," Green said. "You hear him before you see him. Not everybody in the world is like that, so it's going to (stink) not being around him for the next 10 days. We hope all of us stay healthy and continue to test negative so we don't have any further spread."

The positive tests for Ross and Hoyer come with the Cubs likely headed for their worst finish since they went 73-89 in 2014. They had at least a share of first place as late as June 24 before an 11-game slide sent them spiraling out of contention.

Hoyer expressed frustration with the team's vaccination rate in May, arguing that falling short of the 85% threshold was "a real competitive advantage that we're going to miss."

The Cubs had two coaches test positive for COVID-19 in April.

Trainer's room: Cubs infielder David Bote (sprained right ankle) ran the bases before the game.

Up next: Kyle Hendricks (14-6, 4.43 ERA) pitches Saturday for the Cubs. Hendricks was hit hard in his last start, allowing 8 runs in 4⅔ innings in a 13-1 loss to the White Sox last weekend. The Pirates had not announced a starter.