NEWSLETTER
After a late game at Wrigley Field last night (Mark Gonzales says they got to the hotel around 3:45 a.m ET), the Chicago Cubs are starting a three-game set in Pittsburgh early this afternoon. As of the start of play today, the Pirates are technically a half-game behind the Cubs in the standings, but with one more win and two fewer losses, they’re intertwined in the mess atop the NL Central. Hopefully, the Cubs can help untangle that mess for them, by sweeping the Pirates in their home ballpark.
And, sure, Pittsburgh doesn’t figure to be the team standing in the Cubs way come September/October, but they’re there now, so it’s still an important series. Let’s see what they’ve got.
Reminder: Mike Montgomery is taking the ball in game 1 today, as Yu Darvish in on the disabled list and awaiting an MRI tomorrow.
Also of note: The Pirates sent Ivan Nova, Tuesday’s regularly scheduled starter, to the disabled list and replaced him with Nick Kingham.
We’re Going Streaking
The Chicago Cubs (27-22) just won a series against the Giants after being swept in two straight by the Indians. They’re 5-5 in their past ten games and 4.5 games out of first (though, to be fair, the first-place Brewers have played five more games than the Cubs, and are only two ahead in the loss column).
The Pittsburgh Pirates (28-24) just lost two of three to the Cardinals, two of three to the Reds, and three of four to the Padres. It’s been a rough stretch for the surprisingly-hot-to-open-the-season Pirates, so perhaps they’re officially cooling off.
Game Times and Broadcasts Info
Chicago Cubs
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The Pittsburgh Pirates
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*3 MLB starts this season
**1 MLB start this season
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Keep an Eye Out For …
Cubs Pitcher: Mike Montgomery is finally getting his chance to start this afternoon, and while I don’t expect him to last deep into today’s game – he stretches out quickly, but this was a pretty fast turnaround – he probably will be in the rotation for more than just one turn. I’d love to see him get off on the right root today in Pittsburgh.
Cubs Player: Chris Gimenez will probably be catching Montgomery today in his first start with the Chicago Cubs. And unlike most back-up catchers (well, with the notable exception of Alex Avila last season and David Ross in 2016), Gimenez can handle the bat alright. He had a 100 wRC+ in 2017 and a 120 wRC+ in 2015. 2016 was … not so great for him at the plate, but the point remains: he’s more than just a glove.
Pirates Pitcher: Joe Musgrove will make the second big league start of his season on Wednesday, and the first one went really great. Against the Cardinals, Musgrove threw seven scoreless innings with no walks and seven strikeouts. Yeah. At just 25-years-old, Musgrove has plenty of potential. Let’s hope he doesn’t find it this week.
Pirates Player: Josh Bell hasn’t had the sort of offensive breakout the Pirates were undoubtedly hoping for this season (.254/.327/.392), but he is walking over 10% of the time and striking out less than 20%. That said, he’s 6 for his last 37 with an 8.1% walk rate, good for only a 47 wRC+.
