Cubs End 10-Game Skid with Back-to-Back Wins

Sometimes all it takes is one win to change everything.

The Chicago Cubs couldn't buy a victory for 10 straight games, watching their season slip away one loss at a time. Then Ian Happ stepped up to the plate, and suddenly the drought was over.

Happ delivered the game-winning three-run homer Wednesday night to snap the losing streak. He followed it up Thursday with three hits, including a two-run blast, leading the Cubs to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

The back-to-back heroics came at the perfect time for a team that desperately needed a confidence boost. After splitting the four-game series, the Cubs improved to 31-26 and kept their National League Central hopes alive.

"We needed this," said winning pitcher Colin Rea, who held the Pirates to just two runs over 5 1/3 innings. "After you win one game, you want to win another."

Right fielder Seiya Suzuki also broke out of his own slump with two hits and two RBIs against Paul Skenes, the 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner. His hustle down the first-base line in the sixth inning kept a rally alive and extended the Cubs' lead to three runs.

Why This Inspires

The Cubs' story reminds us that rough patches don't last forever. When the losses kept piling up, the team could have fractured or pointed fingers. Instead, they stuck together and trusted the process.

"It wasn't like the mood was bad with this team when we were losing," Suzuki said through his interpreter. "Something just kind of clicked, and it just carried over."

That resilience shows the power of maintaining faith during tough times. Every player kept preparing, kept working, and kept believing the turnaround would come. When it finally did, they were ready to capitalize.

Manager Craig Counsell praised his team for taking advantage of opportunities against one of baseball's toughest pitchers. The Cubs' bullpen also stepped up, with three relievers combining for 3 2/3 scoreless innings to seal the victory.

Now the Cubs head to St. Louis riding high, proof that persistence pays off when you refuse to quit.