Cubs end 10-game skid with 10-4 win over Pirates

Ian Happ drove in five runs, including a tie-breaking three-run home run, to power the Chicago Cubs to a 10-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, snapping a 10-game losing streak. The win at PNC Park was Chicago’s first since May 15.

Happ’s decisive blast came in the seventh inning off Pirates reliever Yohan Ramirez, breaking a 4-4 deadlock and igniting a six-run rally. Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto followed with a two-run homer later in the inning. Happ had earlier given the Cubs a 2-0 lead with a two-run single in the first inning. He was one of five Cubs players to record two hits in the game.

The Cubs’ offense had been dormant during their skid, which was the longest active streak in the majors and their longest since June 2022. The team had won only twice in its previous 16 games before Wednesday’s breakout.

Pittsburgh answered Chicago’s early lead when Brandon Lowe hit a three-run homer off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon in the third inning. After the Cubs regained a brief 4-3 lead in the fourth, Pirates rookie Konnor Griffin tied the game again with a solo home run.

Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision. Taillon, a former Pirates draft pick,...