The Chicago Cubs go into MLB games today with one of the best records in baseball, outperforming expectations even amid

The Chicago Cubs have enjoyed a strong start to the season, but that reportedly won't stop them from trying to improve ahead of the trade deadline.

The Cubs could be one of the more aggressive buyers this July, and they already know what they need to pursue the most.

SportsLine's model simulated Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs 10,000 times and revealed its MLB picks for Friday afternoon's matchup at Wrigley Field in Chicago

Adding that swing above the zone to his proven power below the zone, Crow-Armstrong became the first player to homer on one pitch at least 3.9 feet off the ground and another less than .9 feet off the ground in the same season in the Statcast era (since 2015), according to mlb.com.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes is no stranger to impressive accomplishments. On Friday, he made the wrong kind of history with his start against the Chicago Cubs ( box score ).

The Pittsburgh Pirates toppled the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field as starting pitcher Paul Skenes continued his historic dominance away from PNC Park. Per Greg Harvey of OptaSTATS: Players in MLB history to have a sub-1.