NL Central Division rivals will square off on Saturday afternoon, when the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs battle from Wrigley Field. On Friday, SP Chad Kuhl (4-4) allowed eight hits and three runs over five plus frames during a 3-1 series opening loss. The Pirates have lost five of their last six games and are a game below .500 overall.
Rookie right-hander Nick Kingham (2-2 4.03 ERA) will make his sixth career major league start for the Pirates. Through 29 innings, Kingham has fanned 30 batters and sports an impressive 1.00 WHIP. The Chicago Cubs are the most talented team in the NL Central Division and are starting to find their form. On Friday, Kris Bryant had three hits and scored a run from the leadoff spot to spark the Chicago offense. SP Mike Montgomery (2-1) allowed seven hits and one run over six innings for the Cubs, who have won four straight games overall.
Thirty-four year old southpaw Jon Lester (6-2 2.44 ERA) is showing very little sign of slowing down for the Cubs. Last time out, Lester struck out seven batters in seven scoreless frames during a 2-0 road victory against the Mets.
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Chicago SP Yu Darvish (triceps) played catch in the outfield on Wednesday and hopes to return later this month. Through 63 games, Pittsburgh ranks 9th in batting average and 8th in runs scored. For the season, Chicago ranks 2nd in batting average and 5th in runs scored. Take the over on Saturday. Final Score Prediction, Chicago Cubs win high scoring over game 7-5.
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