Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Series Preview

6-13-23 – By Christian Wolf – @CWolfPGH on Twitter

For the Pirates, a critical road trip begins in Chicago.

When & Who

Pittsburgh Pirates (34-30) at Chicago Cubs (28-37)

Game 1 – (6/13, 8:05 EST)

Probable Pitchers:

For the Pirates – Luis Ortiz (1-2, 4.23 ERA)

For the Cubs – Jameson Taillon (1-4, 7.02)

Game 2 – (6/14 8:05 EST)

Probable Pitchers:

For the Pirates – TBD

For the Cubs – TBD

Game 3 – (6/15, 8:05 EST)

Probable Pitchers:

For the Pirates – TBD

For the Cubs – TBD

Team Trends

Much needed series win for the Pirates against the Mets, after a disappointing series against Oakland. The Pirates are right up at the top of the National League Central with the Brewers and coming off a 6-3 homestand, now need to capitalize on the next nine games being against divisional opponents.

Chicago is having a rough start to the season, currently nine games under .500 but coming off a series win against the Giants. The Cubs rotation is one of the best in baseball, ranking 6^th in MLB with a 3.87 ERA and 290 strikeouts.

Who’s Hot

For the Cubs –  Nico Hoerner – Hoerner collected 4 hits in 11 at bats in the Cubs series against the Giants, and has provided solid numbers for the year in general.

For the Pirates – Ke’Bryan Hayes: How about Hayes’ 5-5 game against the Mets? Hayes has been one of the Pirates’ best hitters as of late, collecting six hits in the Pirates’ series against the Mets. After a bad month in May, Hayes has been fantastic in the month of June.

Who’s Not

For the Cubs – Ian Happ – Happ collected just a single hit in the Giants series, and is batting just .182 in his last seven games.

For the Pirates – Connor Joe – Joe has cooled off since his red-hot start to the season, and although he did collect two hits in the series against the Mets, he is hitting just .222 in his last seven games and has seen an increase in strikeouts.

Series Overview & Prediction

It’s only June, but this feels like an important series. The Pirates and Cubs will actually meet again after this series in Pittsburgh next week, but taking advantage of your divisional opponents is important. Chicago is certainly not as strong as previous years, and although the Pirates and Cubs have a little separation in the standings, you can never have enough breathing room.

I’m just going to keep my mouth shut on this series. Typically, I can get some sort of feel for how the games may go, but nothing here. It’s go time if you’re Pittsburgh. Now let’s see what happens.