Pirates

Pirates Preview: Skenes Looks to Lead Bucs to Back-to-Back Wins at Wrigley

Published

6 days ago

September 3, 2024

The Pittsburgh Pirates came from behind to defeat the Chicago Cubs 5-3 at Wrigley Field in the series opener at Wrigley Field.

Bryan Reynolds tied the game in the eighth inning with a three-run home run and Andrew McCutchen put the Pirates ahead two batters later with his 18th homer of the season.

Star rookie Paul Skenes will start for the Pirates (64-73) on Tuesday night as their series with the Cubs (71-67) continues.

First pitch is set for 7:40 ET and the game will be aired on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Weather

Clear skies with temperatures in the lower-70s on the North Side of Chicago. Winds E at 9 mph.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Will Send Out RHP Paul Skenes (8-2, 2.23 ERA)

Skenes faced the Cubs in Pittsburgh in his last start and allowed three runs (two earned) with six strikeouts across five innings pitched.

The right-hander wrapped up the month of August at 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA across five starts. In 28.1 innings, he allowed 21 hits, walked 10 and struck out 33.

Skenes leads rookie starting pitchers in ERA and WHIP (0.95) and is second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.23) and quality starts (13).

This will already be the fourth time Skenes has faced the Cubs this year. Combined between the first three matchups, he’s 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 15 innings.

The Chicago Cubs Will Send Out RHP Kyle Hendricks (3-10, 6.75 ERA)

Hendricks was hit hard in his last start against the Pirates on Wednesday. He failed to escape the second inning after allowing six runs on eight hits with three walks.

It’s no secret that it’s been a difficult season for the veteran right-hander. Among pitchers with at least 100 innings, Hendricks has the worst ERA in baseball.

Opponents have hit .302 against Hendricks this season with an .841 OPS. He’s already surrendered 20 home runs, the third-most he’s ever allowed in a season.

In 32 career starts against the Pirates, Hendricks is 9-14 with a 4.09 ERA. He’s been charged with 14 earned runs in 11.1 innings against them this season.

Cubs Hitters vs. Skenes

Ian Happ: 1 for 6, one double, one walk, three strikeouts
Seiya Suzuki: 1 for 6, four strikeouts
Mike Tauchman: 1 for 6, one double, four strikeouts
Cody Bellinger: 1 for 5, one RBI, one walk, one strikeout
Michael Bush: 0 for 5, two walks, three strikeouts
Isaac Paredes: 0 for 5, two strikeouts
Pete Crow-Armstrong: 2 for 4, one RBI
Miles Mastrobuoni: 2 for 4, two strikeouts
Nico Hoerner: 2 for 3, one home run, one RBI

Pirates Hitters vs. Hendricks

Andrew McCutchen: 10 for 46, two doubles, one home run, four RBIs, three walks, 10 strikeouts
Bryan Reynolds: 9 for 38, one double, two triples, two home runs, four RBIs, one walk, five strikeouts
Rowdy Tellez: 8 for 22, one double, one home run, four RBIs, six strikeouts
Yasmani Grandal: 5 for 22, one double, five RBIs, five walks, four strikeouts
Connor Joe: 9 for 16, one double, one RBI, four walks, two strikeouts
Billy McKinney: 4 for 10, two doubles, one home run, two RBIs, three strikeouts
Oneil Cruz: 2 for 7, one double, one home run, one RBI, one strikeout
Jared Triolo: 3 for 6, one double, one home run, three RBIs, two walks, two strikeouts
Michael A. Taylor: 1 for 5, one double
Alika Williams: 1 for 4, one double, one strikeout

Tidbits

Andrew McCutchen extended his hitting streak to 14 games on Monday, the second-longest in Pirates’ history for a player 37 years old or older.
The Pirates improved to 8-53 on the season when trailing after seven innings.
Paul Skenes lead all starting pitchers in ERA since making his MLB debut on May 11 against the Cubs. He’s also second in strikeout percentage (32.3%) since then.