PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Ian Happ homered for the second consecutive game and the Chicago Cubs pulled away late for a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, handing rookie sensation Paul Skenes his third straight loss.

The win followed a 10-4 Cubs victory Wednesday that snapped a 10-game losing streak. Happ, who hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the seventh inning of that game, delivered again Thursday with a two-run blast in the eighth that stretched Chicago’s lead to 5-2. He finished with three hits and reached base safely in 41 games in his hometown ballpark. Seiya Suzuki added two hits and two RBI for the Cubs, who improved to 31-26. The Pirates fell to 29-28.

The game began as a pitchers’ duel between Skenes and Chicago starter Colin Rea. Skenes, who entered with a 6-4 record and a 2.58 ERA, struck out 10 batters over 5 1/3 innings but was again undermined by defensive mistakes and a lack of support. Rea matched him through five, allowing only two hits while striking out five.

The Cubs broke a scoreless tie in the fourth. Michael Busch walked with one out, and after Alex Bregman flied out, Happ singled off Skenes to put runners at first and second. Suzuki followed with a line-drive single to left field, scoring Busch and giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. The threat ended when Moisés Ballesteros fouled out.

Skenes pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the third when Pete Crow-Armstrong singled but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. The Pirates’ best early chance came in the first when Bryan Reynolds doubled and Oneil Cruz walked, but Jhostynxon Garcia struck out to end the inning.

In the sixth, Chicago expanded its lead with two more runs, both aided by Pittsburgh errors. Busch walked to lead off the inning, and Bregman reached on a throwing error by third baseman Tyler Callihan. Happ then grounded a single to shortstop Jared Triolo, whose throw to second sailed into the outfield, allowing Busch to score and putting runners at the corners. Suzuki grounded into a force out that scored Bregman, making it 3-0.

The Pirates answered immediately in the bottom half. Reynolds led off with a solo home run to right field, his fifth of the season. Oneil Cruz flied out, but Garcia singled and scored on a double by Callihan, trimming the Cubs’ lead to 3-2. Rea’s day ended after 5 1/3 innings, having allowed two runs on four hits.

Trent Thornton relieved Rea and finished the sixth without further damage, then worked a scoreless seventh despite a two-out walk to Reynolds.

The Cubs broke the game open in the eighth off Pirates reliever Yohan Ramírez. Bregman singled with one out, and Happ crushed a 1-0 pitch to right-center field for his 12th homer of the season, making it 5-2. Suzuki followed with a single, and Michael Conforto walked. Miguel Amaya then drew a walk that forced in Suzuki after a passed ball by catcher Henry Davis, pushing the lead to 6-2.

Chicago added a final run in the ninth. Crow-Armstrong walked, moved to third on a single by Nico Hoerner, and scored on a fielder’s choice by Bregman off reliever Mason Montgomery.

Cubs relievers Caleb Thielbar and Hoby Milner closed out the Pirates in the eighth and ninth. Thielbar struck out two in a perfect eighth, and Milner surrendered only a sharp single to Triolo in the ninth before Henry Davis grounded into a double play and Spencer Horwitz flied out to end the game.

Skenes took the loss despite another dominant performance on the mound. He allowed four hits and one earned run over 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out 10. His record dropped to 6-5. Rea improved to 5-3 with the win; he allowed four hits and two runs, striking out five and walking two in 5 1/3 innings.

The Cubs’ bullpen combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. Montgomery worked 1 2/3 perfect innings for Pittsburgh, striking out two. Reynolds led the Pirates with two hits, including a double and the home run. Triolo also had two hits.

The attendance was 19,121, and the game lasted 2 hours, 59 minutes.

Chicago now travels to St. Louis for a three-game series starting Friday, while Pittsburgh hosts Minnesota for a weekend set.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Pittsburgh 4, Chicago 0. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Cubs a 53.40 percent probability to win. Pittsburgh had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 9 went over the over/under line of 7.5.