Paul Skenes drew the start and again ran into trouble as the Cubs plated two in the first, one in the second and another in the fifth en route to a 4-1 loss at PNC Park. Chicago’s early strikes forced Pittsburgh into a catch-up role and chased Skenes from the game despite flashes of his swing-and-miss stuff. He finished going 3.2 innings, giving up 7 hits and 3 walks, while striking out six.
The box score made the gap clear: Cubs 4, Pirates 1; Pittsburgh managed 1 run on 4 hits, while Chicago finished with 14 hits and took advantage of timely contact to build separation. Chicago turned half-chances into runs and pressured Skenes and the Pittsburgh pen throughout the night.
Chicago’s lineup is peppered with hitters who are performing at the right time,names such as Pete Crow‑Armstrong, Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson supplied consistent, situation-driven offense that punished mistakes. By contrast, the Pirates struggled to put up quality at-bats, leaving multiple runners stranded and failing to string hits together when it mattered most.
Watching the Pirates’ offense lately feels like a rerun: the same limp plate appearances, the same stranded baserunners, the same low output despite starting pitching that gives them a chance. Until Pittsburgh begins producing cleaner at-bats and turning opportunities into runs, quality starts from arms like Skenes will continue to fall short of wins.
Tomorrow’s afternoon matchup will feature the Cubs’ Matthew Boyd against the Pirates’ Johan Oviedo with first pitch scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET at PNC Park