The Cubs ended a 10-game losing streak with a 10-run win over the Pirates, fueled largely by Ian Happ’s five RBIs. They will play another game in Pittsburgh before moving to St. Louis. The Cubs plan to use the same lineup as the previous night, with Miguel Amaya catching instead of Carson Kelly. Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch have performed well against Paul Skenes in the past, and Pete Crow-Armstrong has shown recent success. Chicago’s offense needs to rebound quickly to avoid a sixth straight series loss. Colin Rea starts for the Cubs, carrying a 5.06 ERA in May, though he recently followed a rough stretch with a strong outing against the Astros.
"The Cubs finally ended their losing streak last night, which reached 10 games, in dramatic fashion against the Pirates. The offense finally broke out of their prolonged slump, largely due to Ian Happ's 5 RBI. They'll look to build on that tonight against one of the best pitchers in baseball, with one more game in Pittsburgh before heading to St. Louis."
"Craig Counsell is deploying the same lineup as last night, except Miguel Amaya is catching instead of Carson Kelly. We know that Counsell doesn't like to change the lineup often, which became a major topic over the last two weeks, but it feels like the right move to stick with what worked after a successful game yesterday."
"Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch have both done well against Paul Skenes in the past, with OPS marks of 1.012 and 1.087, respectively. Add in Pete Crow-Armstrong's recent success, and the Cubs could pounce on Skenes early."
"It's been a bumpy road lately for Rea, who has a 5.06 ERA in May. Earlier this month, he allowed nine runs across nine innings in just two starts. However, he followed that up with seven innings of three-run ball against the Astros in his last outing."
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