Chicago Cubs (26-43, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (28-40, third in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Thursday, 12:35 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: No starters named
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -130, Pirates +110; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates bring a 2-1 lead into the next game of the series against the Chicago Cubs.
Pittsburgh has gone 16-20 in home games and 28-40 overall. The Pirates are 12-6 in games when they hit two or more home runs.
Chicago has a 26-43 record overall and a 13-18 record on the road. The Cubs have an 11-34 record in games when they have allowed a home run.
The matchup Thursday is the 13th time these teams square off this season. The Pirates have a 7-5 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds has eight doubles, three triples and 11 home runs for the Pirates. Jack Suwinski is 7-for-29 with a double, three home runs and three RBI over the last 10 games.
Ian Happ has 15 doubles, two triples and eight home runs for the Cubs. Willson Contreras is 11-for-40 with three doubles, two home runs and four RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 4-6, .197 batting average, 4.86 ERA, outscored by five runs
Cubs: 3-7, .249 batting average, 6.85 ERA, outscored by 36 runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Zach Thompson: 15-Day IL (forearm), Yoshitomo Tsutsugo: 10-Day IL (back), Dillon Peters: 15-Day IL (back), Tucupita Marcano: 10-Day IL (covid-19), Canaan Smith-Njigba: 60-Day IL (wrist), Duane Underwood Jr.: 15-Day IL (covid-19), Josh VanMeter: 10-Day IL (finger), Ben Gamel: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Kevin Newman: 60-Day IL (groin), Roberto Perez: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Jake Marisnick: 10-Day IL (thumb), Greg Allen: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Blake Cederlind: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Mears: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Cubs: Frank Schwindel: 10-Day IL (back), Nick Madrigal: 10-Day IL (groin), Wade Miley: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Marcus Stroman: 15-Day IL (shoulder), David Bote: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Manuel Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Drew Smyly: 15-Day IL (oblique), Seiya Suzuki: 10-Day IL (finger), Ethan Roberts: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Michael Hermosillo: 10-Day IL (covid), Adbert Alzolay: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Codi Heuer: 60-Day IL (elbow), Brad Wieck: 60-Day IL (elbow)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
