Pittsburgh Pirates (52-72, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (69-53, second in the NL Central)
Chicago; Sunday, 2:20 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinski (2-7, 4.20 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 62 strikeouts); Cubs: Javier Assad (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, two strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -199, Pirates +164; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates meet on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series.
Chicago is 69-53 overall and 37-23 at home. The Cubs have the fourth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .252.
Pittsburgh is 18-43 on the road and 52-72 overall. The Pirates have a 36-22 record in games when they did not allow a home run.
The matchup Sunday is the 10th time these teams match up this season. The Cubs have a 6-3 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nico Hoerner has a .294 batting average to lead the Cubs, and has 20 doubles, three triples and four home runs. Dansby Swanson is 10 for 38 with a home run and an RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 4-6, .226 batting average, 2.83 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs
Pirates: 3-7, .223 batting average, 5.86 ERA, outscored by 29 runs
INJURIES: Cubs: Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (ankle), Mike Soroka: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Pirates: Oneil Cruz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 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
