The Pirates are 16-15 since Don Kelly has taken over as manager.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing their best baseball of the season approaching the official start of summer.
Winners of five of their last six games, the Pirates recorded their first three-game winning streak by sweeping the cross-state rival Philadelphia Phillies last weekend at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh followed it up by taking two-of-three from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.
Not only did the win signify a winning record under new manager Donnie Kelly (16-15), but a historic day for Andrew McCutchen.
McCutchen homered off Cal Quantrill in the bottom of the fifth inning for his 241st home run as a Pirate, surpassing Roberto Clemente for 3rd all-time in franchise history.
No. 241 for No. 22 pic.twitter.com/2evy3ATi6I
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 11, 2025
It was McCutchen’s sixth long ball of the season and 325th of his 17-year career.
The Pirates enter Wrigley Field with a different feeling around the ball club. Derek Shelton was fired in early May after a 12-26 start and two consecutive sweeps.
GM Ben Cherington promoted Kelly from bench coach and rejuvenated a struggling team.
Yes, the Pirates are still 28-41. A 12-19 March/April and 10-18 May tanked their chances of playing meaningful baseball in August, let alone September.
Their offense ranks tied for 29th in baseball in runs (3.2) and tied for 24th in hits (7.6). The Bucs tied a modern-era record by scoring four runs or fewer in 26 consecutive contests.
They have scored five or more runs in six of their last 15 games. Not earth shattering, to say the least, but progress.
The Pirates will send Andrew Heaney, Paul Skenes. Mike Burrows, and Mitch Keller to the mound for the four-game series beginning on Thursday evening.
Skenes vs. star Cubs prospect Cade Horton is the marquee matchup of the weekend. Despite a 1.88 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, Paul Skenes is 4-6.
No starting pitcher has ever won the Cy Young with a losing record. Skenes is on pace to make history, which he has done plenty in the past 13 months in Pittsburgh. In his first start at Wrigley Field last season and second-ever appearance, Skenes pitched six no-hit innings and struck out 11 Cubbies.
A series split against the first-place Cubs would be ideal for the Pirates. They’ve struggled away from PNC Park and are 9-22 on the road this season. The Cubs took two-out-of-three from April 29-May 1 and won’t play again until mid-August (15-17) at Wrigley Field.