The Cubs are still hunting the Brewers in a stacked NL Central, and a trip through PNC Park against a scrappy .500-plus Pirates club is exactly the kind of series that can't be taken lightly.
Bush’s Picks
CHCPIT
CHCPIT
OverUnder
Best BetCubs
The Cubs are the better overall team on paper and still fighting for playoff positioning in a crowded NL Central, which is enough to lean their way here even with the bullpen dinged up. Pittsburgh's shaky defense behind the plate has been costing them close games all year, and that's the kind of thing that shows up against a lineup with Chicago's depth. It's not a blowout lean, just a solid edge to the road side.
Cubs
+56-44 record, firmly in playoff mix
+Nico Hoerner riding a hot stretch at the plate
+Jameson Taillon back to bolster rotation depth
−Bullpen gutted — Maton, Thornton, five others on IL
−Dropped 2 of last 5, including 6-8 loss to Tigers
Pirates
+Offense ranks among MLB's best in hits, average
+Took 2 of 3 from Cleveland last week
+52-49, hanging around .500 in a tough field
−Defense one of the league's worst by efficiency
−Lost series finale in New York 8-5
−Horwitz, Rodriguez, Cruz all sidelined
Neither club has announced its starter for Friday's 6:40 PM ET opener, so the pitching matchup card will fill in once the probables drop. What's clear is both rotations are working with less than a full deck right now — Chicago is still easing Jameson Taillon back after a stint on the injured list, while Pittsburgh has leaned hard on Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler through a brutal stretch against the Yankees.
The Cubs' bullpen picture is the bigger concern heading into this set. Phil Maton just went down with knee tendinitis, Trent Thornton is day-to-day after getting drilled by a comebacker Monday, and that's on top of a pile of arms — Shelby Miller, Hunter Harvey, Ben Brown, Ethan Roberts, Daniel Palencia, Hoby Milner — already scattered across the injured list. Craig Counsell has been patching things together for weeks now, and a soft spot in relief is the kind of thing that turns close games in Pittsburgh into headaches.
Show fees
6:40 PM ET
Spread
ML
Total
CHC Cubs
PIT Pirates
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes home off a rough loss in the Bronx, where Jazz Chisholm Jr. torched Ashcraft for five RBI in an 8-5 Yankees win. But zoom out and the Pirates' offense has quietly been one of the better units in baseball this year, hanging near the top of the league in hits and batting average — a profile that doesn't always show up in the box score against a good pitcher but tends to grind out innings over a series.
Chicago Cubs
Jul 22?vs Tigers—
Jul 21?vs Tigers—
Pittsburgh Pirates
Jul 22?@ Yankees—
Jul 21?@ Yankees—
Recent form.
Nico Hoerner has been the story for Chicago the last couple weeks, stringing together one of his hottest stretches of the season and giving the lineup a steadier presence at the top. The Cubs are still chasing Milwaukee in a division that hasn't let anybody pull away, so every series against a fringe-contender like Pittsburgh carries weight — a sweep keeps the pressure on, a stumble and the gap only grows.
Chicago Cubs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Pittsburgh Pirates
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Pittsburgh's issues aren't really about who's missing, though Spencer Horwitz, Endy Rodriguez and Oneil Cruz are all out — it's a defense that's been one of the shakier units in the sport, ranking near the bottom of the league in efficiency. That's the kind of flaw that can bail out an opposing lineup even on nights the Pirates are hitting. Both teams enter this one a little banged up and a little inconsistent, which sets up a series that should be closer than the standings suggest.
