Defense, bullpen fail Paul Skenes as Pirates split series with Cubs

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 28, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — A series with promise ended with a disappointing split.

The Pirates lost, 7-2, to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night at PNC Park, dropping the final two games after extending the Cubs’ losing streak to 10 on Tuesday. The Cubs scored four runs in the final two innings against Brandan Bidois and Yohan Ramirez.

Paul Skenes took the loss, his third in a row, though the defeat was largely the product of a bad defensive night. Skenes allowed three runs, one earned, in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven of the first eight batters he faced and finished with 10, tying a season high.

Errors and soft contact did him in. He allowed his first run in the fourth on a walk, an infield single that he tried to field bare-handed and Seiya Suzuki’s blooper to left.

The more damaging inning came in the sixth. Skenes issued a one-out walk to Michael Busch before Tyler Callihan’s throwing error allowed Alex Bregman to reach and Busch to advance to second. Shortstop Jared Triolo then fielded Ian Happ’s soft grounder and tried to tag Bregman, running from first, but didn’t. When Triolo threw past Spencer Horwitz at first, a run was in, Bregman and Happ were safe and Skenes’ day was done.

Mason Montgomery retired the next five hitters, but not before Suzuki beat out a double play ball to score Bregman from third.

Triolo and Callihan were both in the game after injuries. Konnor Griffin is day-to-day with right forearm soreness and was held out Thursday. Nick Gonzales started at third base but left the game in the fourth inning with left knee discomfort. He fouled a ball off his knee on Wednesday.

The Pirates got within a run in the sixth. Bryan Reynolds led off the inning with a homer, the Pirates’ first run off Cubs starter Colin Rea. Jhostynxon Garcia singled, ending Rea’s day, then scored on a Callihan double to right-center.

It was over when …

Happ — who else? — hit a two-out, two-run homer off Bidois in the eighth.

Happ is up to 21 career homers against the Pirates, which is somehow fewer than his totals against the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. He’s batting .312 against the Pirates after a 3-for-5 day.

On the mound

Skenes retired the first eight batters he faced before walking Dansby Swanson. He also walked Busch twice.

The hardest hit ball off Skenes was a 92.6-mph flyout from Bregman in the fourth. The four singles against him had these velocities: 61.7 mph, 67.5 mph, 75.1 mph, 87.9 mph.

Bidois threw 31 pitches in a three-run eighth, including a wild pitch and a passed ball. He retired the first two hitters on eight pitches before the inning spiraled. Ramirez allowed a run in the ninth as Pete Crow-Armstrong slid around Davis’ tag.

At the plate

The Pirates left eight runners on base. They had five hits and drew five walks.

Reynolds went 2 for 3 with a walk.

Up next

Plenty is happening on Friday night at the ballpark. Jared Jones will make his first appearance since 2024 and start for the Pirates — on Skenes’ birthday, no less — while former Pirates manager Derek Shelton will bring his Minnesota Twins to town in his first Pittsburgh appearance since he was fired him last May. Right-hander Taj Bradley (5-1, 2.77 ERA) will start for the Twins.