Ian Happ homers again as the Cubs sink Paul Skenes and the Pirates

Ian Happ homered for the second consecutive game and the Chicago Cubs handed Paul Skenes his third straight loss with a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

The win came one night after the Cubs ended a 10-game losing streak. Happ hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the seventh inning of that game.

Happ had three hits on Thursday, including a two-run homer in the eighth that pushed the Cubs' lead to 5-2. He has reached base safely in 41 games in the city where he grew up. Seiya Suzuki had two hits and two RBIs for Chicago.

Skenes (6-5) lost his third straight start despite striking out 10 in 5 1/3 innings. The 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner fanned six batters in a row from the first to the third.

Only one of the three runs against Skenes was earned, as third baseman Tyler Callihan and shortstop Jared Triolo made throwing errors in a two-run sixth inning that extended the Cubs' lead to 3-0.

Colin Rea (5-3) won for the first time in five starts, allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings. Hoby Milner, Caleb Thielbar and Trent Thornton combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Bryan Reynolds homered for the Pirates.

Pittsburgh third baseman Nick Gonzales exited after the third inning with left knee discomfort.

Cubs: Open a three-game series Friday night at St. Louis with LHP Shota Imanaga (4-5, 4.04 ERA) facing RHP Andre Pallante (5-4, 3.76).

Pirates: Host the Minnesota Twins and former Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton in a three-game series beginning Friday. Pirates RHP Jared Jones will make his first major league appearance since 2024, a little more than a year after undergoing elbow surgery. RHP Taj Bradley (5-1, 2.77) starts for the Twins.