The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten hot at the right time. After a seven game winning streak, the Pirates lost their first game in over a week last night against the St Louis Cardinals. Tonight, the Bucs begin a three game set against the Chicago Cubs in the final series before the all star break.
The Pirates (44-42) have picked up a ton of ground in both the division and wild card races. The Bucs currently sit 8.5 games back in the National League Central race and sit three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second wild card spot.
The Cubs (52-33) on the other hand have been one of the best teams in baseball all season long. However, they have struggled as of late, losing seven of their last ten games. They still have an eight game lead over the Cardinals, who are in second place in the division, but they haven’t been as dominant as they were at the beginning of the season.
The Pirates/Cubs rivalry has easily become one of the best in baseball. Both teams are competitive, but the Cubs have had the upper hand in the season series. As always, this series is bound to provide interesting matchups to watch. Here is our list of ones to watch.
3.) David Freese vs Jake Arrieta
Jake Arrieta continues to have success this season, sporting a 12-3 record with a 2.33 ERA; however, he has proven to be human in his last three starts. Arrieta has gone six plus inning in 10 of his 17 starts this season, but hasn’t pitched past the sixth inning in any of his last four starts. Arrieta has also split his last seven starts, going 3-3 with a 3.35 ERA. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it is abnormal from what is usually expected from Arrieta.
Arrieta has dominated the Pirates in his career, compiling a 9-1 record with a 1.46 ERA in 12 starts. This series, Arrieta is 3-0 against the Bucs with a 0.86 ERA.
Arrieta has dominated plenty of Pirates hitters, but none more than David Freese. Reese is 0-for-6 against Arrieta in his career with three strikeouts.
Despite these struggles against the Cubs ace, Freese has been stellar as of late, hitting .313 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 15 games. He is hitting .296 with nine home runs and and 37 RBIs in 76 games.
It will be interesting to see if Arrieta can continue his success against the Bucs. However, his matchup against Freese is intriguing. Will Arrieta keep the Pirates third baseman hitless or will Freese finally break out and continue his recent surge? Be sure to tune in tonight as this is a matchup fans won’t want to miss.
2.) Chad Kuhl vs Cubs for first time
With the recent rotation shakeup, many pitching prospects have been called up from Triple-A Indianapolis. Chad Kuhl is one of those prospects. Kuhl has looked impressive in two major league starts, posting a 1-0 record with a 4.09 ERA.
In the two outings against the Dodgers and Oakland Athletics, Kuhl pitched past the fifth inning while showing improved command in his last start. After walking four and striking out five in his MLB debut, Kuhl followed that performance up by allowing zero walks and striking out two in a no decision against Oakland.
Kuhl has his work cut out for him as he faces the Cubs offense for the first time in his career. The Cubs will be the face of the National League during the all star game festivities as seven players are heading to the midsummer classic. They also became the second team in history to have their entire infield voted to start the game.
It will be intriguing to see how Kuhl, primarily a pitcher who relies on getting groundball outs, approaches this outing against the Cubs offense. They have plenty of firepower on offense with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell and can easily feast off of rookie pitching. Kuhl has remained composed in his first two starts, but now faces his toughest test yet.
1.) Matt Joyce vs John Lackey
At the age of 37, John Lackey is still making an impact. The veteran right hander, who is in his first season with the Cubs, is in the midst of a stellar year, posting a 7-5 record with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in 17 starts. Lackey has also compiled 111 strikeouts in 110.2 innings.
Despite this success, Lackey hasn’t won a start since June 8 against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his last seven starts, Lackey is 2-3 with a 4.04 ERA
One Pirates player that has hit Lackey relatively well throughout his career is Matt Joyce. Joyce has had a stellar season in his first year in Pittsburgh, hitting .299 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs in in 73 games. Joyce has had success no matter what his role has been. He has provided the Pirates with some quality bench depth, has played stellar defense when starting in the outfield, and has made an impact at the plate.
It’s not a guarantee that Joyce will be in the lineup on Sunday when Lackey takes the mound for the Cubs, but he certainly should. Joyce is 10-for-27 (.370) with two home runs, seven RBIs and a .469 On-Base Percentage in his career against Lackey. Joyce hasn’t faced the Cubs veteran hurler since 2014, but it will be interesting to see if he can continue this success against Lackey as a member of the Pirates.
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