Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs Round 4: What To Expect
On April 30th, 2021, the Pittsburgh Pirates were performing above many people's expectations, sitting at 12-10. However, May has been a different story as their record has dropped to a season-low 18-28 and have gone just 6-18 over their last 24 games. The slump came to an apex this past weekend when they not only lost three out of four games to the Atlanta Braves, and were embarrassed on the scoreboard. they were outscored 37-9 in the four-game series, and aside from game one, couldn't get any offense going. The once good starting pitching couldn't turn in a strong start, and the offense had a lot of trouble producing runs.
However, the Pirates are looking to turn things around when they head to PNC Park to play 13 of the next 15 games. It is a tough stretch that includes games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals on the road, but the stretch kicks off when the Pirates take on the Chicago Cubs in a three-game set. It is the fourth meeting between the two teams this season, and the Cubs have the upper hand going 5-4 against the Pirates over the nine games this season. All nine games have been pretty close contests, but the home team has usually had the upper hand in the series. Today, we look at the upcoming three-game series between the NL Central rivals at PNC Park as we look at what to expect.
What Happened Last Time
The last time the Pirates and Cubs met, it was a series of one-run games. The Chicago Cubs took the first two games by the score of 3-2, and the Pirates ended up winning the finale 6-5. The key to all three games was strong starting pitching from both sides allowing for the close contests. Trevor Cahill, Wil Crowe, and Tyler Anderson got the starts in the series, and all three allowed two earned runs or less. However, the offense went through several injuries during the series, including losing Colin Moran and Phillip Evans, and as a result, they just didn't have enough to overtake the Cubs in the first two games of the series. However, as they have done all season long, they continued to show fight throughout the series and pulled out a win in the final game.
So far in the first three series between these two teams, the advantage has gone to the home ball club. In both series at Wrigley Field, the Cubs took two out of three while when the series moved to PNC Park it was the Pirates that took two out of three. The Pirates are hoping to continue this trend as the series shifts to PNC Park. If they want to be successful, the Pirates will have to shut down the hot bat of Ian Happ. Happ is hitting .316 with three home runs and five RBI over his last seven games and, along with Javier Baez, has been a top run producer for the Cubs. Another hitter to watch is Pirate killer Kris Bryant, who is leading the team with a .389 average over his last seven games. It has been a potent lineup all year, and it will be up to the Pirates pitchers to give their team a chance to win.
Starting Off On The Right Foot
As we said before, the biggest key to the Pirate's success in this series is going to be their starting pitching. After a reasonably good start to the season for most of the Pirates starting five, things have seemed to taper off as of late. The Pirates have a starter's ERA of just 9.00 over their last seven games, which is the second-worst in baseball. Even guys like Tyler Anderson and JT Brubaker, who have been successful all year, were hit with bad outings their last time out. As a pitching staff, the Pirates gave up 37 runs over four games against the Atlanta Braves, which is not a recipe for success. The group needs someone that is able to kickstart them back in the right direction on the mound.
That could start with whoever is named starter for game one of the three-game series on Tuesday night. Derek Shelton and the Pirates have been really tight-lipped when it has come to these decisions this year, and tomorrow's starter is no exception. He is still listed as TBA, but there is some speculation as to who could be making that start. Miguel Yajure, who has pitched to a 3.86 ERA this year, is one of the names rumored while Cody Ponce, who made his debut with the Pirates last year, is another name brought up. Ponce has been building up in Triple-A this year and pitched to a 3.18 ERA with the Pirates last season. Whoever gets the call to make the start will be tasked with jump-starting a staff that has looked pretty stagnant over the last two rotations.
Fighting For Roster Spots
With several of the Pirate's key players on the mend, there are several roster moves that need to be made. This means that several guys on the roster are fighting for jobs to stay on the team. Some would ultimately head to free agency and would have to fight for a spot on another team. Guys like Wilmer Difo and Ben Gamel face this truth as both players are currently out of options. Gamel has not really impressed so far in his Pirates career, hitting just .167 in his first 11 games as a Pirates. It is an improvement over the .071 mark he posted with the Cleveland Indians, but still isn't grounds to keep a roster spot. For Difo, his numbers have been a little better, especially as a pinch hitter where he has a .304 batting average. Both of these players are in danger of losing their roster spots and need to have a big series.
Another guy who is hoping to perform this series is recently recalled Cole Tucker from Triple-A Indianapolis. After starting the year at Triple-A, Tucker was recalled when Trevor Cahill ended up hitting the IL. He has only appeared in one game so far for the Pirates and ended up going 0-2 in what was a 20-1 loss to the Braves. While Tucker's defense has been the solid part of his game, his offense has been severely lacking as he is a career .213 hitter at the Major League level. If he was one of the guys sent down when players start returning from injury, we would likely see him again by the end of the year, but he will be fighting for a chance to stay on the roster permanently moving forward.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (18-28) kick-off their three-game series with the Chicago Cubs (24-22) tonight at 6:35 pm at PNC Park. The Pirates have yet to announce tonight's game one starter who will take on Jake Arietta (4-4, 4.46) for the Cubs. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter by following @Buccos_Cove.
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