9-2-24 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X
August is thankfully in the rear-view mirror but an 8-19 month has wiped away any hopes of post-season baseball for the Buccos. Now, their only real role in the grand scheme is as spoiler and they have a tough opponent who has been on a HOT streak lately.
The Pirates head to the Windy City to face the Chicago Cubs, who have won 6 straight (including a sweep in Pittsburgh last week) and 12 of their last 15 to put themselves on the cusp of a wild card spot.
9/2
Pirates – Jared Jones (R) – 5-7, 95 IP, 3.88 ERA, 102 Ks/30 walks, 1.15 WHIP
Cubs – Jameson Taillon (R) – 9-8, 133.1 IP, 3.85 ERA, 104 Ks/26 walks, 1.20 WHIP
9/3
Pirates – Paul Skenes (R) – 8-2, 109 IP, 2.23 ERA, 136 Ks/26 walks, 0.95 WHIP
Cubs – Justin Steele (L) – 5-5, 128 IP, 3.09 ERA, 131 Ks/34 walks, 1.09 WHIP
9/4
Pirates – Bailey Falter (L) – 6-7, 116.1 IP, 4.41 ERA, 81 Ks/34 walks, 1.29 WHIP
Cubs – Shota Imanaga (L) – 11-3, 146.1 IP, 3.14 ERA, 148 Ks/23 walks, 1.05 WHIP
Pirates:
Oneil Cruz – He just can’t stop hitting. In August, Cruz led all of MLB with a .389 with an 11-game hit streak and 21-game on-base streak snapped during an 0-for-4 game Sunday. He also scored 12 runs and drove in 14 during that strong August with 10 stolen bases.
Cubs:
Pete Crow-Armstrong – The glove and speed were known to be a strength for the young outfielder but the bat has been OUTSTANDING lately. Over the last 15 days, he has a .362/.426/.553 slash line with three doubles and two home runs while going 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts.
Pirates:
Isiah Kiner-Falefa – There’s no avoiding the obvious fact that IKF has been struggling despite Shelton’s insistence at keeping him batting lead-off. Since joining the Bucs, Kiner-Falefa is batting .223 with 24 strikeouts to just 2 walks and a paltry .584 OPS.
Cubs:
Michael Busch – For a time, Busch was one of the more productive members of the Cubs lineup but as they’ve done damage across the board, Busch has dropped in production and in the lineup. His .692 OPS in August was his lowest of the season and, over the team’s recent torrid stretch of games, Busch only drove in 7 runs while slashing .204/.283/.278 in that span.
Key Injuries
Pirates:
No new injuries
Cubs:
No new injuries
Team Notes
Over their last 15 games, the Cubs offense has been among the most dominant in baseball, posting a combined .278/.357/.472 triple slash and scoring an MLB-best 113 runs – 14 more than the next most in that span.
Let’s Go Bucs!
Steel City Pirates 