The Chicago Cubs play the second game of their three-game series on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. The Cubs were off Monday, but defeated the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday 5-2 to take a one-game lead in the National League Central over the Milwaukee Brewers. Cole Hamels will debut on Wednesday for the Cubs.
Pittsburgh was off on Monday as well, but lost to the New York Mets 1-0 on Sunday. Nevertheless, Pittsburgh has won 13 of its last 15 games and trails the Cubs by just seven games in the NL Central. The Pirates are also just 3 ½ games back in the race for the second NL wildcard spot. Albert Almora Jr. leads the Cubs with a .310 batting average. Javier Baez leads the team in home runs with 21, RBIs with 79 and hits with 113. Chicago has a team batting average of .266 while opposing hitters are averaging .236 at the plate against Cubs pitching. On Wednesday, the Cubs will send Cole Hamels to the mound. The lefthander this season is 5-9 with an ERA of 4.72, 114 Ks and 42 BBs.
Corey Dickerson leads the Pirates with a .318 batting average and team high 110 hits. Gregory Polanco is the team leader in home runs with 18 and in RBIs with 58. Pittsburgh has a team batting average of .255 while opposing hitters are averaging .252 at the plate against Pirates pitching. On Wednesday, the Pirates will send Nick Kingham to the mound. The right-hander this season is 5-5 with an ERA of 4.80, 55 Ks and 18 BBs.
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Chicago has defeated the Pirates in 4 of the last 5 games the two have played in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has played poorly at home (24-26), while the Cubs are over .500 on the road (28-25). Hamels will prove his worth in his Cubs debut. Final Score Prediction, Chicago Cubs win 6-3.
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