Pirates Drop Series With Cubs; Skenes Shelled for Three Homers

The Pittsburgh Pirates fell 8-3 to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, May 1, dropping the game and the series after Paul Skenes allowed a trio of home runs in the fifth inning.

How We Got There

Although Skenes wasn’t at his sharpest — just 57 percent of his pitches went for strikes, down from an average of 66 percent on the season — Pirates (12-20) took a 2-0 lead after three innings thanks to a Bryan Reynolds home run and an RBI double from Oneil Cruz.

Chicago got to Skenes in the fifth inning, however, charging him with a trio of solo home runs, then the Cubs built on their lead in the seventh with a two-run homer from Seiya Suzuki, his second of the game. While the Pirates put together a comeback attempt in the eighth inning, they managed just one run after putting two runners in scoring position with no outs.

The Cubs promptly twisted the knife with three runs in the ninth inning, putting Pittsburgh away.

Key Moment

The Pirates brought the tying run to the plate with no outs in the eighth inning. A Reynolds groundout closed the deficit to 5-3 but Pittsburgh drew no closer, going down in order in the ninth.

Star of the Game

Cubs’ designated hitter Seiya Suzuki, who went 2-for-3 with two home runs and a walk, his third home run of the series.

Notable Pirates Performances

• Paul Skenes: 5 IP, 3 ER, 2 K’s
• Bryan Reynolds:
• Oneil Cruz: 1-for-4 with an RBI double and this sliding catch in center field.

Stat to Know

Paul Skenes entered play with one home run allowed all season; he gave up three in the fifth inning, just the second time in his career he’d allowed more than one home run in a single game.

Skenes also issued three straight walks in the fourth inning, tying a career high with four on the day, and exited after five innings, his shortest start of the season, and his two strikeouts marked the lowest of his career.

Noteworthy

• Oneil Cruz’s third-inning RBI double pushed his on-base streak to nine games.
• Home plate umpire Lance Barrett ejected Cubs’ hitting coach Dustin Kelly in the top of the fifth inning. After a close play at first base on a groundout from Chicago third baseman Nicky Lopez, Kelly left the dugout and appeared to exchange strong words with the umpiring crew.
• Pirates’ bench coach Don Kelly served as acting manager with Derek Shelton in Florida to attend his son’s college graduation.
• Before the game, the Pirates took a moment to thank the first responders who attended to the fan who fell from the right field stands during the seventh inning of their game against the Cubs on Wednesday, April 30.

Up Next

The Pirates will host the San Diego Padres for a three game series beginning at 6:40 p.m. on Friday, May 2. Right-hander Mitch Keller (1-2, 3.97 ERA, 26 SO) will face off against Friars’ righty Dylan Cease (1-2, 5.76 ERA, 36 SO).