Paul Skenes pitched for Pittsburgh against a cold Cubs offense, while Colin Rea started for Chicago. The Cubs were not expected to win, but they did after snapping a ten-game losing streak. Pittsburgh made mistakes, including multiple errors, a passed ball, and a wild pitch, and some weak balls in play became hits. Chicago’s offense later produced runs through two-out rallies, and its defense included a standout throwout by Miguel Amaya. Ian Happ delivered a crucial late-game homer. Happ’s recent performance improved, finishing the series with six hits and eight RBI over three games, along with team-leading power numbers. Skenes struck out 10 Cubs and allowed one earned run, but Chicago’s patience raised his pitch count and pushed him out before the sixth inning. Rea matched Skenes early and stayed in control through the first five innings.
"With Paul Skenes on the mound against this ice-cold Cubs offense (last night notwithstanding) and Colin Rea starting for Chicago, you'd be a fool to have bet on the Cubs to win tonight in Pittsburgh. A rich fool. What an unexpected, really nice W for this team following the snapping of their ten-game losing streak last night. Like I said, no one was counting on a win in this game, but it's nice to remember that we can win games like this, too. I almost forgot it was possible."
"Sure, the Cubs were helped out by some sloppy Pirates play along the way (they had multiple errors, a passed ball, and a wild pitch), as well as some weak balls in play turning into hits. But the bats came alive all by themselves later on. Plus, there was some good Cubs defense ( Miguel Amaya had a KILLER throwout of a runner trying to steal), there were two-out rallies, and there was yet another key, late-game homer off the bat of Ian Happ."
"Speaking of which, Happ really stepped up these last two games after being as brutally cold as any hitter in baseball. He finishes the Pirates series with six hits and 8 RBI over his last three games, a team-leading 12 homers, plus a 130 wRC+ on the year. Brett talked about his unusual season earlier today. Here's hoping there's more of this to come."
"As for Skenes, well, he was good tonight, striking out 10 Cubs with just one earned run allowed. But because the Cubs were being so patient early on, they were able to drive up Skenes' pitch count and chase him from the game before the end of the 6th inning. Sometimes, that's all you can do against a guy like that."
Read at Bleacher Nation
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