Pirates wild NL Central stat will concern Cubs, Cardinals fans

Even though they are in last place, the Pittsburgh Pirates are showing some bright spots. On Monday, they handed the Chicago Cubs their 9th straight loss in the first game of a four-game series.

Additionally, the Pirates have been doing really well against their Central Division rivals as of late, per Jason Mackey of MLB.com. The stats will have fans of the Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals shaking in their boots.

Altogether, the Pirates have won five out of their first six series against Central Division opponents this year. In 2025, they won four series against those opponents.

One of the crazier year-to-year Pirates stats I’ve seen:

They’ve won five of their first six series vs. the NL Central.

In 2025, the Pirates won four series TOTAL against division opponents.

— Jason Mackey (@JMackey_PGH) May 26, 2026

Back in April, Pittsburgh won two out of three games against the Cubs from April 10 to 12. They won the first two games 2-0 and 4-3.

They followed up by winning two out of three games on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers (April 24 to 26), 6-0, 6-3.

Pittsburgh was swept in a four-game series by the Cardinals from April 27 to 30.

In early May, Pittsburgh swept the Cincinnati Reds in a three-game series on the road (May 1 to 3). They won the first game 9-1 and the second game 17-7. Pittsburgh completed the sweep on a 1-0 victory led by Braxton Ashcraft’s 7.2 scoreless innings.

Below the first-place Brewers (31-20), the rest of the division is up for grabs.

The Cardinals are in 2nd place at 29-23, and the Cubs are in 3rd place at 29-25. Cincianitti sits in 4th place at 28-25.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is getting superb performances by right-hander Paul Skenes. Skenes will be on the mound against the Cubs on Tuesday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

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