Paul Skenes could tell during his pregame bullpen session on Thursday that he wasn't quite right. The Chicago Cubs then went out and offered tangible proof, taking the Pittsburgh ace deep three times in the fifth inning of what became an 8-3 Pirates loss on Thursday in a performance that was decidedly unSkenes-like,

Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki all took Pirates ace Paul Skenes deep in the fifth inning as the Cubs pulled away for an 8-3 victory on Thursday. Suzuki later added a two-run shot off reliever Kyle Nicolas as Chicago took two of three from the last-place Pirates.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes experienced a career first on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs ( GameTracker ), and not of the positive manner he's grown accustomed to over the last year. Rather, Thursday's game represented the first time he has surrendered three home runs during an appearance at the big-league level.

Its a Paul Skenes Thursday. Its May 1 and Skenes and the Pirates (12-19) and the Cubs (18-13) wrap up a series in Pittsburgh. Colin Rea is slated to take the mound for Chicago against Skenes for Pittsburgh.

SportsLine's model simulated Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates 10,000 times and revealed its MLB picks for Thursday's matchup

The Cubs opened this season series Tuesday with a 9-0 victory as moderate favorites (-145), while helping the total push (9) at most shops behind LHP Shota Imanaga. In Wednesday's game, the Pirates returned the favor,

Andrew McCutchen drove in two runs with his lone hit to help the Pittsburgh Pirates snap a three-game slide with a 4-3 win against the visiting Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

Andrew McCutchen clears the bases with a two-run double for the Pirates vs. the Cubs. ESPN BET Sportsbook is owned and operated by PENN Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries ('PENN'). ESPN BET is available in states where PENN is licensed to offer sports wagering.