The Pittsburgj Pirates are about to start another big divisional series when they face off against the Chicago Cubs. Pittsburgh is 2-1 this season against Chicago winning the first series.
The first game against each other was on April 10 at Wrigley Field where the only scoring came from a two run home run by Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates then won the second game 4-3 in 11 innings which is just the third extra inning victory for Pittsburgh this season. The third game of the series ended with a Cubs
walk off single hit by Carson Kelly.
The largest deficit in that series was just by 2 runs. That shows that these teams are very even and well matched.
That was a big series for Brandon Lowe who had two home runs. It was also a solid series for Brayn Reynolds who had three RBIs.
The Cubs are currently struggling after losing 2 out of three to their rivals the White Sox. They also got swept by the Milwaukee Brewers which at the moment puts them in second place in the NL Central.
The Bucs historically have struggled against the Cubs. The Buccos went just 3-10 vs Chicago last season. In those 13 games in 2025 against Chicago the Pirates did not score more than four runs which they snapped this season after their 7-6 victory.
This is going to be the first time this season that these two teams will meet at PNC park. In 2025 the pirates only won one game vs the Cubs at home.
Carmen Mlodzinski, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Paul Skenes are the set starters for the four game series. It is very important for the starting pitching to step up and produce. Ashcraft’s last performance where he threw 7 innings and had nine strikeouts and just 1 earned run is a very good sign for Pittsburgh.
This is going to be a tough series because of the lack of success the Pirates have had throughout the years against the Cubs. It is important for the Buccos to at least take two out of three against what is arguably their biggest divisional rival.
