Here come the Pirates. Pittsburgh (59-41) moved to within 5.5 games of St. Louis for the NL Central lead with a 3-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. The Pirates will look to cut that deficit even further when they take on the streaking Chicago Cubs (57-47) in the opening game of their three-game set tonight.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this divisional matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of New York vs. Boston and Houston vs. Texas.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
When: Monday, August 3, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Chicago Cubs (+120) at Pittsburgh Pirates (-130); total: 6.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs moved into a tie with the San Francisco Giants for the final postseason spot in the National League with a thrilling 4-3 win Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers. It was the fifth consecutive victory for the Cubs who are now a season-high 10 games over .500 at 57-47.
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Cubs will look to keep their winning streak alive when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. They will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have the red-hot Jon Lester (6-8, 3.26 ERA) on the mound this evening. The lefty is coming off a magnificent 14-strikeout performance against the Colorado Rockies wherein he pitched a season-high eight innings. He’s the first Cubs left-hander to fan more than 12 since 1914.
Lester was simply phenomenal for the Cubs in the month of July. He finished with an incredible 1.66 ERA to go along with a 2-2 slate. He completed at least seven innings of work in each of those six July starts. It’s a spectacular turnaround for Lester who lost six straight decisions between May and June.
Lester fared extremely well against the Pirates in his lone start against them this season. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball in Chicago’s 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh on May 16. He will have a battle in his hands, however, against the veteran Liriano. Since signing with Pittsburgh in 2013, Liriano has gone 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA in nine starts against the Cubs.
The Cubs need to get their bats going if they are to stretch their unbeaten run tonight. One guy who’s expected to contribute this evening is Anthony Rizzo. The first baseman was sizzling in the Cubs’ recent four-game series against Milwaukee, going 7-for-15 with three home runs and eight RBIs. He is 4-of-20 in his career against Liriano with one homer and three RBIs.
The Cubs are 5-0 in their last five road games.
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Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates earned a four-game split with the Cincinnati Reds with a dominant 3-0 victory on Sunday. Charlie Morton pitched five-hit ball for the Bucs through seven innings, striking out seven and walking none. The Pirates will look to build from that impressive start when they lock horns with the Chicago Cubs in their series opener tonight.
Pitching for the Bucs this evening is left-hander Francisco Liriano (7-6, 2.92 ERA). The Pirates are 6-0 in Liriano’s last six starts. The veteran has held his opponents to two earned runs or fewer during that stretch. He was far from perfect, though, in his last start, allowing a season-high 10 hits in Pittsburgh’s 10-4 victory against the Minnesota Twins.
Liriano needs all the help he can get from the Pittsburgh hitters if he is to grab the victory tonight as he will next face the in-form Jon Lester. Fortunately for Liriano, he has the ever-dependable Andrew McCutchen on his side tonight. The center fielder leads the team in homers (15), hits (107), RBIs (66), walks (52) and on-base percentage (.384) this season. He is 6-for-24 in his last seven games with two homers and six RBIs. He will have his work cut out for him, however, against Lester as he is hitless in six career at-bats against the left-hander.
Another guy who’s been hot at the plate is Jung Ho Kang. He is 9-for-23 in his last six games with three doubles and three home runs. He is 2-for-3 lifetime against Lester.
The Pirates are 8-2 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Chicago (+120) wins, 5-2.
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