Pittsburgh Pirates (28-41, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (41-27, first in the NL Central)
Chicago; Thursday, 7:05 p.m. CDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Andrew Heaney (3-4, 3.24 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 52 strikeouts); Cubs: Jameson Taillon (6-3, 3.54 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 58 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -204, Pirates +168; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs host the Pittsburgh Pirates to open a four-game series.
Chicago has a 20-11 record in home games and a 41-27 record overall. The Cubs have gone 36-10 in games when they record at least eight hits.
Pittsburgh has a 9-22 record in road games and a 28-41 record overall. The Pirates are 12-3 in games when they scored at least five runs.
The teams square off Thursday for the fourth time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 12 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 43 RBIs for the Cubs. Michael Busch is 12 for 35 with two triples, four home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games.
Andrew McCutchen has a .263 batting average to lead the Pirates, and has 11 doubles and six home runs. Ke’Bryan Hayes is 10 for 35 with a home run and three RBIs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .240 batting average, 2.79 ERA, outscored opponents by 10 runs
Pirates: 6-4, .240 batting average, 3.03 ERA, outscored opponents by four 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: Andrew Heaney: day-to-day (calf), Endy Rodriguez: 10-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.