Pirates at Cubs 9/24/18 - MLB Picks & Predictions

NL Central Division rivals will meet on Monday night, when the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs open up a series from Wrigley Field. On Sunday SP Nick Kingham was tagged for six runs and recorded just four outs during a 13-6 loss versus Milwaukee. Adam Frazier hit a two run blast for the Pirates, who have been eliminated from postseason contention.

Twenty-six year old righty Jameson Taillon (13-9 3.24 ERA) has emerged as a frontline starter for the Pirates. Pittsburgh has won each of Taillon’s last six starts and he has allowed seven runs total over that stretch. The Chicago Cubs have won seven of their last ten games and are closing in on the NL Central Division title. On Sunday, Kyle Schwarber homered and drove in a pair of runs to power the Cubs to a 6-1 road victory against the White Sox. With the win, Chicago’s magic number to clinch the division title over Milwaukee was lowered to five with seven games remaining.

Chicago skipper Joe Maddon will turn to vetera left-hander Cole Hamels (9-10 3.90 ERA) on Monday. Last time out, Hamels was tagged for nine hits and seven runs during a 9-0 loss at Arizona.