Pittsburgh Pirates (29-43, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (43-28, first in the NL Central)
Chicago; Sunday, 2:20 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Mitch Keller (1-9, 4.15 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 65 strikeouts); Cubs: Colin Rea (4-2, 3.92 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 48 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -173, Pirates +145; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs bring a 2-1 lead into the latest game of the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chicago has a 43-28 record overall and a 22-12 record at home. The Cubs have a 33-6 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.
Pittsburgh is 10-24 on the road and 29-43 overall. The Pirates have gone 12-3 in games when they scored five or more runs.
The matchup Sunday is the seventh meeting between these teams this season. The Cubs hold a 4-2 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nico Hoerner has a .288 batting average to lead the Cubs, and has 16 doubles and a triple. Seiya Suzuki is 11 for 42 with three home runs and four RBIs over the last 10 games.
Oneil Cruz leads the Pirates with 24 extra base hits (10 doubles, a triple and 13 home runs). Andrew McCutchen is 11 for 39 with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .228 batting average, 2.53 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
Pirates: 6-4, .226 batting average, 2.73 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs
INJURIES: Cubs: Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (oblique), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Shota Imanaga: 15-Day IL (leg), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Pirates: Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Joey Bart: 7-Day IL (concussion), Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (thumb), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
