Pirates at Cubs 9/27/18 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Pittsburgh Pirates conclude a four-game series on the road Thursday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Pirates beat the Cubs Tuesday 6-0. Pittsburgh’s Chris Archer had nine strikeouts while walking two and gave up just four hits across six innings of shutout baseball. Pablo Reyes hit a home run in the second straight game, while Francisco Cervelli had two RBIs.

The Cubs needed to win or a loss by Colorado to qualify for the postseason and got neither. In the process, Chicago lost third baseman Kris Bryant after the slugger was hit by an Archer pitch. Bryant’s status for the game will not be known until more tests are performed on Wednesday. The Cubs lead has been trimmed to a half-game over second place Milwaukee in the National League Central. Corey Dickerson leads the Pirates with a .299 batting average. Starling Marte has a team high 149 hits. Gregory Polanco is the team leader in home runs with 23 and in RBIs with 81, but is lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Pittsburgh has a team batting average of .254 while opposing hitters are averaging .250 at the plate against Pirates pitching. On Thursday, the Pirates will send Trevor Williams to the mound. The right-hander this season is 14-9 with an ERA of 3.04, 122 Ks and 52 BBs.

Ben Zobrist leads the Cubs with a .310 batting average. Javier Baez leads the team in home runs with 34, RBIs with 110 and hits with 171. Chicago has a team batting average of .258 while opposing hitters are averaging .240 at the plate against Cubs pitching. On Thursday, the Cubs will send Jon Lester to the mound. The lefthander this season is 17-6 with an ERA of 3.43, 146 Ks and 60 BBs.