The Chicago Cubs finally cured some of their ills by snapping their longest losing streak in almost four years on Wednesday.
But on Thursday night, the Cubs will face Pirates ace and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, who will try to get back on track in the finale of the teams’ four-game series in Pittsburgh.
Skenes (6-4, 3.00 ERA), who will oppose fellow right-hander Colin Rea (4-3, 4.83) of the Cubs, is coming off back-to-back subpar starts following a pair of strong outings to open May.
Skenes allowed four runs on a career-high nine hits — including a leadoff home run by George Springer — in a 5-2 loss at Toronto on Saturday. Skenes appeared to shake off the blast until the sixth inning, when he gave up four consecutive hits, which led to three runs, without recording an out.
That showing followed a start in which he allowed five runs on six hits over five innings in a 6-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 17. It was the first time Skenes has yielded more than three earned runs in consecutive starts.
He opened May with back-to-back outings of eight scoreless innings, during which he allowed only two hits per appearance.
“There was good and bad,” Skenes said after his start. “I need to get ahead in counts. I wasn’t super unhappy with some of the execution on some of the pitches but could have executed a number of them better.”
Skenes is 2-2 with a 2.94 ERA in seven career starts against the Cubs.
Chicago has been streaky, putting together two 10-game winning stretches this season and a 10-game skid that ended with a 10-4 victory Wednesday.
Ian Happ, who recently sat out two games during a major slump, ignited the Cubs’ offense with five RBIs. He entered the game in a 2-for-31 stretch and was hitting .212 before continuing his strong play in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Happ reached base for the 40th consecutive game at PNC Park and is a career .300 hitter there.
“Whatever you want to call it, monkey on your back, whatever, it’s nice that it’s gone,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It starts over tomorrow, and you have to win a game tomorrow, but we needed it. The room needed it. We all needed it. And we played a good game tonight.”
The offensive jolt was huge for the Cubs, who had scored only 14 runs over their previous eight games.
Jameson Taillon was just effective enough to keep Chicago in the game until its six-run seventh inning broke it open.
Rea will try to keep the momentum going as he looks to build off his longest start of the season. He went seven innings and allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four on Saturday in a 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros.
Rea had pitched only twice into the seventh inning this season before that game.
He is 3-3 with a 5.09 ERA in 10 career appearances (eight starts) against the Pirates.
–Field Level Media
