Pittsburgh faces Chicago, aims to build on Musgrove's strong outing
Chicago Cubs (64-58, second in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-70, fifth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Saturday, 1 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Jon Lester (9-8, 4.43 ERA) Pirates: Steven Brault (3-1, 4.33 ERA)
LINE: Cubs favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 runs
Pittsburgh heads into the matchup fresh off a dominant performance by Joe Musgrove. Musgrove threw 7 1/3 innings, surrendering two runs while striking out nine.
The Pirates are 21-35 against the rest of their division. The Pittsburgh offense has compiled a .266 batting average as a team this season, good for sixth in the league. Bryan Reynolds leads the team with an average of .337.
The Cubs are 27-24 against NL Central Division opponents. Chicago's team on-base percentage of .327 is eighth in the majors. Anthony Rizzo leads the team with an OBP of .386. The Pirates won the last meeting 3-2. Keone Kela earned his second victory and Starling Marte went 1-for-4 for Pittsburgh. Brandon Kintzler took his second loss for Chicago.
TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Bell leads the Pirates with 98 RBIs and is batting .283. Reynolds is 14-for-40 with three doubles, four home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Javier Baez leads the Cubs with 65 extra base hits and is slugging .547. Ian Happ is 10-for-32 with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .261 batting average, 5.55 ERA, outscored by seven runs
Cubs: 3-7, .249 batting average, 5.93 ERA, outscored by 15 runs
Pirates Injuries: Jameson Taillon: (elbow), Edgar Santana: (elbow), Richard Rodriguez: (shoulder), Chad Kuhl: (elbow), Nick Burdi: (biceps), Gregory Polanco: (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: (finger), Francisco Cervelli: (concussion).
Cubs Injuries: Allen Webster: (hand), Brandon Morrow: (elbow), Brandon Kintzler: (pectoral), Craig Kimbrel: (knee), Kendall Graveman: (elbow), Steve Cishek: (hip), Xavier Cedeno: (wrist), Daniel Descalso: (ankle), Willson Contreras: (hamstring).
