If the Pittsburgh Pirates are to exact revenge on the Chicago Cubs, these are the matchups they must win
This weekend, the Pittsburgh Pirates end a 14-game span of matchups against National League Central opponents. They enter a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field coming off of a two game split with the Cincinnati Reds in what was supposed to be a three game series, which was shortened due to a postponed game on Tuesday. At the beginning of last week, the Pirates suffered a three game sweep at the hands of the Cubs at PNC Park. The Cubs currently sit atop the NL Central Standings with a 25-8 record, while the Pirates sit behind them in second place in the division with a 18-15 record. The Pirates will attempt to avenge their sweep from last week in a series that is bound to contain some intriguing matchups to watch.
3.) Francisco Cervelli vs Jason Hammel
This afternoon, Jason Hammel makes his second start of the season against the Pirates. In his first outing against Pittsburgh on May 2, Hammel gave up two earned runs on five hits while giving up one walk and three strikeouts in five innings of work.
This season, Hammel has been stellar, posting a 4-0 record with a 1.85 ERA in six starts. Despite, Hammel’s success, he does seem to have a kryptonite in the form of Pirates starting catcher Francisco Cervelli.
In his career against Hammel, Cervelli is 5-for-12 (.417) with one double, one RBI and two strikeouts. Cervelli is sporting a .287 batting average this season, while also contributing 13 RBI’s. The 30-year old has been hitting primarily out of the fifth spot in the Pirates lineup and has been given plenty of opportunities to hit with men in scoring position, hitting .281.
The matchup between Cervelli and Hammel is an intriguing one based on Cervelli’s success against the Cubs right-hander and the success of these two individuals in 2016. Cervelli is a key part of the Pirates offense and his performance is bound to be crucial to the Pirates success against Hammel.
2.) Matt Joyce vs Jake Arrieta
Once again, the Pirates have been unable to avoid facing Cubs ace Jake Arrieta. Arrieta is having yet another exceptional season, compiling a 6-0 record with a 1.13 ERA in seven starts. Not to mention that the 30-year old has not lost since July 25 of last season.
Despite Arrieta’s continued dominance, it might be safe to say that his kryptonite may be in the form of Pirates fourth outfielder Matt Joyce. Now, most of Joyce’s at-bats against Arrieta were before his days with the Cubs, when he played for the Baltimore Orioles and Joyce also played in the American League with the Tampa Bay Rays. However, it doesn’t diminish the fact that Joyce has historically hit well against the 2015 Cy Young Award Winner.
In his career against Arrieta, Joyce is 7-for-17 (.412) with two doubles, one home run, four RBI’s, two walks and, most surprisingly, no strikeouts. The Pirates haven’t had too much success against Arrieta, who is 7-1 with a 1.50 ERA in ten career starts versus Pittsburgh. Arrieta has also accumulated 56 strikeouts and 13 walks in 66 innings pitched.
It’s not guaranteed that Joyce is in the Pirates lineup on Saturday afternoon when they take on Arrieta, but based on his career numbers, it may be smart to have him in there. If he does end up starting, his at-bats against the Cubs right-hander are bound to be considered “must watch.”
1.) Jordy Mercer vs Jon Lester
On Sunday afternoon, Jon Lester makes his second start this season against the Pirates. In his first outing, Lester posted his only non-quality start of the season, giving up eight hits over 5.2 innings. Lester, who is 4-1 this season with a 1.96 ERA, has historically been stellar against the Pirates throughout his career. He continues to gain experience against teams in the National League and is beginning to build a reputation while facing some of the best hitters that each NL team has to offer.
In this matchup, Lester poses as a huge threat on the mound as the Cubs second best starter behind Arrieta. When it comes to a matchup to watch, look no further than the matchup between Lester and Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer, who is having an underrated season at the plate.
This season, Mercer is hitting .289 with one home run and 14 RBI’s, while compiling 17 walks and 17 strikeouts in 114 at-bats. Mercer is also hitting .304 this season against lefties which poses a problem for Lester. In fact, Mercer, who is a career .323 hitter against left handed pitching, is 2-for-6 (.333) with one double and one strikeout in his career against Lester.
Lester is bound to be just another roadblock in the way of the Pirates getting a victory over Chicago, but the at-bats Mercer will have against Lester are ones that Pirates fans should most definitely keep an eye on.
Photo Credit: Daniel Decker Photography
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