Hey, look! The Cubs don’t have to face Paul Skenes in this series — and he’s made more career starts against the Cubs than any other team, seven of his total of 58. Skenes, incidentally, currently has the highest ERA of any Pirates starter. Don’t expect that to be the case much longer, though.
Austin Bechtold is a writer at our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout
. Here’s what he has to say about them.Make no mistake about it, the Chicago Cubs dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025.
The division rivals
played 13 times last season. Chicago won 10. The Cubs outscored the Pirates 54-26 and hit .256 against Pittsburgh’s pitching.
Chicago smacked an impressive 16 home runs, compared to the Pirates’ five, and earned a .740 OPS. The Pirates batted .182 as a team with a .523 OPS.
In all its charm, Wrigley Field has been a house of horrors for the Pirates in recent years.
The Pirates (7-5) look to set a new precedent in 2026, beginning this three-game series at Wrigley on Friday.
In his first full season as manager, Don Kelly has watched a dreadful offense come to life through the first 12 games.
After hitting a league-worst 117 home runs, the Pirates have already smashed 12, tied for eighth in MLB, and at one point held the National League lead.
A big reason why is offseason additions Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, who have hit three apiece.
The offense ranks tied for 9th in hits per game (8.3), 9th in average (.247), 6th in on-base (.338), 8th in slugging (.383), and 7th in OPS (.721). The Bucs consistently ranked in the bottom third, if not last, in every category last year.
One early carryover is strong starting pitching. Pittsburgh owns the 6th best starters ERA at 2.87, third in the NL behind the Cubs (2.72) and Atlanta Braves (2.79).
Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller pitched in the Padres series at PNC Park, meaning the club will be without their top two arms against a vaunted Cubs (6-6) lineup.
Carmen Mlodzinski gets the ball on Friday, opposite Shota Imanaga, who has dominated the Pirates for what feels like more than a decade (despite it only being three years).
Mlodzinski has allowed two runs in each of his first two starts, but hasn’t been able to pitch out of the fifth inning. The third time through the order is where Mlodzinski, primarily a reliever in his career, has struggled to get through innings.
Saturday plates Braxton Ashcraft against Edward Cabrera, who hasn’t allowed a run in 11.2 innings for Chicago since being traded from the Marlins.
Ashcraft has been Pittsburgh’s surprise starter after an impressive rookie year. Ashcraft earned a 2.71 ERA over 69.2 innings spanning 26 appearances, eight starts.
He has pitched six frames in each of his first two outings and allowed two runs or fewer both times.
All three games have solid pitching probables, but Sunday’s might be the most fascinating.
Former Pirate Jameson Taillon takes the ball against Bubba Chandler. The No. 11 overall prospect and second-highest ranked pitcher at the start of the season, Chandler touches 101 MPH with his fastball.
The problem is, you don’t always know where it’s going. Chandler’s control remains a main concern, as he has walked 10 batters in 8.2 innings. He didn’t allow a hit over 4.1 innings in his season debut at Cincinnati, but walked six and struck out six.
Chandler walked four against the Padres on Monday and allowed five hits and three runs. He has elite stuff, but has work to do to become a consistent pitcher that the rotation can depend on.
Chicago was the preseason favorite to win the NL Central, providing three important games in April for who might take the grand prize in late September.
If the Pirates are going to begin to prove that their start and chances to compete in the Central aren’t a fluke, it begins on the road against a very good team.
Fun facts
The Cubs have played 2,621 previous games against the Pirates, their most against any opponent. They have played 2,525 vs. the Cardinals and 2,429 vs. the Reds.
Their 1,286 wins and 1,317 losses both are the most vs. an opponent. Their 605 losses at home are their most and their 690 wins at home are their third most, behind 715 vs. the Cardinals and 700 vs. the Reds.
Since 2015, the Cubs have won the season series against the Pirates every year while going 113-68-1 overall and 57-31 at Wrigley Field. They were 10-3 last year, including 5-2 at home.
(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Probable pitching matchups
Friday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (0-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, 3.15 FIP) vs. Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP (0-0, 4.00 ERA, 1.556 WHIP, 1.27 FIP)
Saturday: Edward Cabrera, RHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.686 WHIP, 3.15 FIP) vs. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP (1-1, 2.25 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 2.32 FIP)
Sunday: Jameson Taillon, RHP (0-1, 2.53 ERA, 1.219 WHIP, 5.40 FIP) vs. Bubba Chandler, RHP (0-1, 3.12 ERA, 1.731 WHIP, 4.31 FIP)
Times & TV channels
Friday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Saturday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Sunday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Prediction
I keep picking two of three. Last series I was even right! So I’m doing it again here, two of three.
Up next
The Cubs travel to Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies beginning Monday evening.
