PCA's MVP case keeps growing in Cubs-Pirates slugfests

Cubs-Pirates has turned into appointment baseball for all the wrong reasons if you're a pitcher. Paul Skenes, arguably the best arm in the National League, took the mound against Chicago on July 25 and still couldn't slow the Cubs down. He struck out 11 in 5 1/3 innings, per MLB.com, continuing a run where he'd won 3 straight starts after a 9-start winless skid. But strikeouts didn't matter much when the Cubs kept finding barrels.

Barstool Baseball

@StoolBaseball

Hi Paul

That's been the theme all series: even a dominant Skenes start turns into a track meet. Barstool's account posted about walks piling up in the 6th inning as the Cubbies chipped away, and the vibe on the timeline was pure delight at Chicago's ability to needle the Pirates' ace. Steven Cheah went as far as declaring PCA > Skenes mid-game, which is the kind of hot take that only makes sense when you're watching a 23-year-old outfielder torch a Cy Young-caliber arm in real time.

Steven Cheah

@StevenCheah

PCA > Skenes

PCA backed it up with a 4-hit night, and Barstool Baseball made sure everyone saw it. He's been one of the best stories in baseball all year — first player in 2026 to reach 20 homers and 20 steals, per Heavy.com, and he's kept climbing since. The following day against Pittsburgh, he added his 23rd homer of the season, a 102.9 mph blast that padded a laugher, with the Cubs cruising 10-0 at the time. Marty Mush's timeline reaction said it plainly: PCA MVP.

Marty Mush

@martymush

PCA MVP

The Pirates didn't just roll over, though. Ryan O'Hearn came up with the bases loaded and unloaded a grand slam — a 406-foot shot at 101.4 mph exit velo — flipping a game the Cubs led 1-0 into a Pittsburgh lead. It was the kind of moment that reminded everyone this series isn't a one-way parade; the Pirates can mash too, and O'Hearn's slam swung real momentum in a game that had already been feeling like a track meet.

Barstool Baseball

@StoolBaseball

CLEAR THE DECK RYAN O’HEARN SALAMI

Then Seiya Suzuki answered right back. Down late, he launched his 18th homer of the season to cut a 9th-inning deficit to 8-7, sending the Cubs account into a hopeful 'Cubbies?' post that captured the whole vibe of this series — nobody's safe, nobody's out of it, and every at-bat feels like it could flip the game again. Between PCA's power-speed numbers, Skenes' strikeout stuff getting torched anyway, and both bullpens getting hammered, this stretch of Cubs-Pirates baseball has been as entertaining as anything in the league right now. If Chicago keeps finding ways to win these track meets, PCA's MVP case only gets louder.