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Jones, Skenes, Ashcraft: Pirates Star Pitchers Lined Up for Massive Series Against Cubs originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As the Pittsburgh Pirates look to make ground in both the NL Central and NL wild card race, they welcome in the division rival Chicago Cubs to PNC Park for a massive weekend series.
Fresh off an impressive 2025 campaign where they captured a Wild Card berth, eliminated the San Diego Padres, and pushed the division-champion Milwaukee Brewers to Game 5 in the NLDS, Chicago brings a star-studded lineup to town led by Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, and Ian Happ. Once again, the Cubs are well in the fold in 2026, currently holding the first NL wild card spot.
This weekend, the Pirates have set up their rotation for maximum impact at home. Pittsburgh is lining up its most electric young arms for the set, handing the ball to Jared Jones in Friday's opener before turning to Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
With all three starters delivering some of their most dominant outings of the season, Pittsburgh has a premier opportunity to tame Chicago's heavy hitters, gain crucial ground in the divisional standings, and stake its claim in the National League postseason race.
Pirates line up star pitchers to face high-octane Cubs
The Pirates have started the second half of the 2026 season with a 3-3 record, winning the opening series against the Cleveland Guardians before losing two of three to the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Now, the Pirates return home for the first time after the All-Star break to face one of their biggest rivals in the Cubs.
Chicago has put together one of the most volatile campaign logs in recent MLB history while still maintaining a strong 57-45 record near the top of the NL Central. The Cubs opened the year on a torrid pace, ripping off two separate 10-game winning streaks before mid-May to race out to a league-best 27-12 start. But almost immediately after reaching that peak, the floor completely dropped out during a brutal 10-game losing skid — making them just the second team in MLB history to post two 10-game win streaks and a 10-game losing streak in the same season.
Entering the weekend, Chicago sits in the first NL wild card spot, 4.5 games ahead of Pittsburgh. The Pirates are lining up three of their best pitchers for the series in Jones, Skenes and Ashcraft. If Pittsburgh’s trio can set the tone from the mound, this series gives the Bucs their best opportunity yet to make a major dent in the wild card race and send a clear message across the NL Central.
On the other side, the Pirates will face off against Matthew Boyd, ***** Imanaga and Jameson Taillon.
Pirates pitching stats: Jared Jones, Paul Skenes, Braxton Aschraft
Jones returned for the first time since the 2024 season and has continued his hard-throwing ways, while Skenes and Ashcraft both made the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.
| Date | Pitcher | W-L | ERA | IP | SO | WHIP | Starts |
| Friday, July 24 | Jared Jones | 1–1 | 4.37 | 40.0 | 48 | 1.10 | 9 |
| Saturday, July 25 | Paul Skenes | 9–8 | 3.43 | 115.1 | 138 | 1.04 | 21 |
| Sunday, July 26 | Braxton Ashcraft | 9–4 | 3.95 | 116.1 | 130 | 1.17 | 20 |
Pirates upcoming schedule 2026
Seven out of the Pirates' next 10 games are against NL Central opponents.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Fri, Jul 24 | vs. Cubs | 6:40 p.m. |
| Sat, Jul 25 | vs. Cubs | 6:40 p.m. |
| Sun, Jul 26 | vs. Cubs | 1:35 p.m. |
| Mon, Jul 27 | vs. Diamondbacks | 6:40 p.m. |
| Tue, Jul 28 | vs. Diamondbacks | 6:40 p.m. |
| Wed, Jul 29 | vs. Diamondbacks | 12:35 p.m. |
| Thu, Jul 30 | @ Reds | 7:10 p.m. |
| Fri, Jul 31 | @ Reds | 6:10 p.m. |
| Sat, Aug 1 | @ Reds | 6:40 p.m. |
| Sun, Aug 2 | @ Reds | 1:40 p.m. |
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