With two right-handed pitchers on the mound tonight, it’s worth pointing out that the Pirates are literally the worst team in MLB against right-handed pitching this season (58 wRC+), while the Cubs have been a LOT better against righties (97 wRC+) than lefties (74 wRC+).
It’s also worth pointing out that the Cubs starter, Kyle Hendricks, is on a bit of a tear, with four straight quality starts and three straight games that saw him pitch into the 8th inning. He also just started against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on September 2nd, and held them to 1 earned run on 6 hits and 2 walks over 6.0 IP.
By contrast, Trevor Williams has been pretty awful this year, and is coming off a horrendous five-game stretch that features 27 earned runs in just 25.1 IP. He also pitched against the Cubs earlier this season, going just 4.2 IP with 2 earned runs on 4 hits (including a homer) plus 3 walks. This game *should* go to the Cubs. It just should.
Now let’s see if it will.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (32-23) at Pittsburgh Pirates (16-39) – Wednesday, September 23rd at 6:05 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
Starting Pitchers
Pirates: Trevor Williams (R)
versus
Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (R)
Chicago Cubs (Discussion Here):
1. Ian Happ, CF
2. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Kyle Schwarber, DH
5. Cameron Maybin, LF
6. Jason Heyward, RF
7. Javy Baez, SS
8. Jason Kipnis, 2B
9. David Bote, 3B
Pittsburgh Pirates:
1. Adam Frazier, 2B
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B
3. Colin Moran, 1B
4. Gregory Polanco, RF
5. Jorge Osuna, DH
6. JT Riddle, LF
7. Erik Gonzalez, SS
8. Jacob Stallings, C
9. Jared Olivia, CF