MVPETE > Cy Skenes? Pete Crow-Armstrong dazzles as Cubs beat up October-type ace Paul Skenes
<p>PITTSBURGH – <b>Paul Skenes</b> is the type of pitcher the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" >Cubs</a> are going to have to beat if they’re going to make a deep October run.</p><p>They showed they’re capable of taking it to the game’s best by pounding Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, and the Pirates on Saturday night, scoring an 11-0 blowout win.</p><p>The big righty cruised early, striking out nine Cubs hitters in four innings. But while he reached a season-high 11 strikeouts, he gave up three runs on four straight hits in the fifth and was lifted after back-to-back batters reached in the sixth.</p><p>They both scored, and Skenes ended up with five runs on his tab.</p><p>It was another banner night for All-Star center fielder <b>Pete Crow-Armstrong</b>, who won two of his three showdowns with Skenes and had four hits on the night, homering and coming a triple shy of his second cycle of the season.</p><p>Skenes is good as big league arms come, once again a candidate for the sport’s top pitching award in a crowded NL field.</p><p>But Crow-Armstrong is having a simply spectacular season, making the case that he is – as the award states – <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/07/02/cubs-pete-crow-armstrong-mvp-player-of-the-month-june-stats-babe-ruth-lou-gehrig-shohei-ohtani" >the most valuable player in baseball</a>.
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>PITTSBURGH – <b>Paul Skenes</b> is the type of pitcher the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" >Cubs</a> are going to have to beat if they’re going to make a deep October run.</p><p>They showed they’re capable of taking it to the game’s best by pounding Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, and the Pirates on Saturday night, scoring an 11-0 blowout win.</p><p>The big righty cruised early, striking out nine Cubs hitters in four innings. But while he reached a season-high 11 strikeouts, he gave up three runs on four straight hits in the fifth and was lifted after back-to-back batters reached in the sixth.</p><p>They both scored, and Skenes ended up with five runs on his tab.</p><p>It was another banner night for All-Star center fielder <b>Pete Crow-Armstrong</b>, who won two of his three showdowns with Skenes and had four hits on the night, homering and coming a triple shy of his second cycle of the season.</p><p>Skenes is good as big league arms come, once again a candidate for the sport’s top pitching award in a crowded NL field.</p><p>But Crow-Armstrong is having a simply spectacular season, making the case that he is – as the award states – <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/07/02/cubs-pete-crow-armstrong-mvp-player-of-the-month-june-stats-babe-ruth-lou-gehrig-shohei-ohtani" >the most valuable player in baseball</a>. He came into Saturday leading the game’s position players with 6.6 fWAR.</p><p>“You’ve got to remind yourself how old he is,” lefty starter <b>Matthew Boyd</b> said Friday of his 24-year-old teammate. “The jumps that he’s taking are really impressive.</p><p>“His approach at the plate, the way he continues to seek out knowledge from guys that have more experience and adapt it to his game and continuing to grow in his own game and grow from mistakes, whether it’s last year or early in [this year], and building off of it and turning them into strengths, it’s so impressive.”</p><p><b>From Steel City to the North Side</b></p><p>Left fielder <b>Ian Happ</b> walked Saturday to extend his on-base streak in his hometown of Pittsburgh to a remarkable 43 games, the longest such streak in the history of PNC Park.</p><p>A night earlier, Happ did it all in an extra-inning Cubs win, making big plays with his bat, with his glove and on the base paths.</p><p>“Ian’s amazing,” Boyd said Saturday.
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- <p>PITTSBURGH – <b>Paul Skenes</b> is the type of pitcher the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" >Cubs</a> are going to have to beat if they’re going to make a deep October run.</p><p>They showed they’re capable of taking it to the game’s best by pounding Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, and the Pirates on Saturday night, scoring an 11-0 blowout win.</p><p>The big righty cruised early, striking out nine Cubs hitters in four innings. But while he reached a season-high 11 strikeouts, he gave up three runs on four straight hits in the fifth and was lifted after back-to-back batters reached in the sixth.</p><p>They both scored, and Skenes ended up with five runs on his tab.</p><p>It was another banner night for All-Star center fielder <b>Pete Crow-Armstrong</b>, who won two of his three showdowns with Skenes and had four hits on the night, homering and coming a triple shy of his second cycle of the season.</p><p>Skenes is good as big league arms come, once again a candidate for the sport’s top pitching award in a crowded NL field.</p><p>But Crow-Armstrong is having a simply spectacular season, making the case that he is – as the award states – <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/07/02/cubs-pete-crow-armstrong-mvp-player-of-the-month-june-stats-babe-ruth-lou-gehrig-shohei-ohtani" >the most valuable player in baseball</a>.
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MVPETE > Cy Skenes? Pete Crow-Armstrong dazzles as Cubs beat up October-type ace Paul Skenes
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