North Shore Nine

After a long rain delay and a few big momentum shifts, the Pirates defeated the Cubs 10-9 today. They advance to 18-22 on the season.

Starting off what became a roller coaster of a game, Paul Skenes made his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs. He was pulled in the 5th inning after allowing two baserunners, each of which would eventually score. His final line was 4+ innings pitched, 3 earned runs, and 7 strikeouts. He mostly leaned on his fastball, slider, and ‘splinker.’ He also mixed in a few changeups and curveballs. Skenes passed the eye test, generating some silly swings from Cubs batters. He mostly had trouble due to walks, but his command has been highly touted since he came to prominence as a draft prospect last year. His deep arsenal of plus pitches, combined with his expected command, should lead him to immense success the rest of this season and beyond.

Offensively, the Pirates beat up on Justin Steele. Connor Joe began up the Pirates’ scoring, pulling a 3-run home run to left field in the 3rd inning. Oneil Cruz, the next batter, crushed a 427-foot home run to right field. In the 4th inning, Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run home run to opposite field over the Clemente wall, giving the Pirates a 6-1 lead.

Things took a turn for the worse in the 5th inning. Skenes faced two batters to start the inning, allowing a double and an infield single. Kyle Nicolas relieved him, struck out two consecutive batters, then hit a batter and walked three straight Cubs. This cut the Pirates lead to 6-4. Then, Josh Fleming came in and allowed a walk and a single, creating a 6-6 tie heading into a rain delay. After the delay, Colin Holderman became the fourth Pirate to pitch in the 5th inning. He continued the theme of erratic control, walking in two runs. In total, the Pirates allowed 7 runs this inning, 6 of which came on bases-loaded walks. At this point, the Pirates were down 8-6.

In the bottom half of the 5th, the Pirates bounced back. Yasmani Grandal pulled a three-run, 416-foot home run to right field. In the next inning, Andrew McCutchen hit his fourth home run of the year. Overall, all 10 of the Pirates runs came via home runs.

Aroldis Chapman and Hunter Stratton held the Cubs scoreless in the 7th and 8th innings, respectively. In the 9th, David Bednar allowed a run but completed the save.

The Pirates will play the Cubs again tomorrow, hoping to win the series. Bailey Falter will take the mound for the Pirates, with the Cubs pitcher yet to be announced.