Cubs 7, Pirates 2: Happ Homers Again to Beat Skenes and Split Series

The lead

May 28, 2026 - Pittsburgh - The Chicago Cubs split a four-game set at PNC Park with a 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, as Pittsburgh-area native Ian Happ homered for the second consecutive night, Colin Rea matched Paul Skenes into the sixth, and the bullpen threw 3⅔ scoreless innings, per the Associated Press recap on ESPN.

Happ finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and his 12th homer of the season—a two-run shot in the eighth that broke open a 3-2 game. Skenes struck out 10 in 5⅓ innings but took his third straight loss.

How the game turned

Neither team scored through three innings. Seiya Suzuki broke through with an RBI single in the fourth after Happ's first hit of the night. Pittsburgh's defense cracked in the sixth: Happ reached on an infield single that scored a run on a throwing error, and Suzuki's fielder's choice made it 3-0.

Bryan Reynolds homered and Tyler Callihan doubled home a run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 3-2. Rea exited after 5⅓ innings; Hoby Milner and Caleb Thielbar held the line.

With two out and nobody on in the eighth, Alex Bregman singled to extend his hitting streak to eight games, and Happ homered to right center for 5-2. A passed ball and an overturned tag play on Bregman's fielder's choice in the ninth pushed the final margin to 7-2.

Pitching and matchup notes

Rea (5-3) allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks over 5⅓ innings—his seventh straight start past the fourth inning. Skenes (6-5) permitted only one earned run on four hits but was done after the sixth.

AthX Engine graded Chicago at 15 team FP with Happ at 8 hitting FP and Rea at 9.33 pitching FP. Skenes still led all pitchers on the card at 14.33 pitching FP despite the loss.

Bats that changed the board

Happ went 5-for-11 with two homers and seven RBI in the final two games of the series. Suzuki had two hits and drove in two runs. Reynolds' solo homer was his 14th all-time against Cubs pitching, per Yahoo Sports.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

Beating a Cy Young winner and still trailing his 14.33 pitching FP illustrates how AthX Engine can reward dominant strikeout lines even in defeat—while Happ's back-to-back homers powered 15 team FP for the winners. Daily scoring remains separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

The Cubs head home for a division rival weekend; Pittsburgh continues its homestand, per AP probables from the series.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, ESPN recap, Cubs Insider recap, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*