Chicago Cubs @ Pittsburgh Pirates – Series Preview (September 22-25): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (64-85) were able to win two of three against the Marlins in Miami by playing what can best be described as the least sloppy baseball of the two undermanned squads. There’s good news if you are into that kind of thing because Chicago next heads to Pittsburgh for four games starting Thursday.
The Pirates (55-94) have absolutely cratered in the second half, going 16-40 since the All-Star break and coming off of a winless six-game road trip to New York against the Mets and Yankees this week. The offense is one of the worst in baseball in both OPS and batting average, but one bright spot is super-prospect Oneil Cruz. The towering shortstop has 17 home runs, including some of the highest exit velocities in baseball since Statcast began measuring.
Pittsburgh has also had a lot of trouble pitching, combining for a 4.67 ERA as a team. Several trades before the deadline have further weakened a staff that wasn’t very strong to begin with, and Mitch Keller has been the most consistent starter after José Quintana was shipped to St. Louis.
This is another matchup between a pair of teams that are playing out the string and looking forward to 2023. The Cubs are not going to catch Pittsburgh in the battle for better draft odds, so they might as well win these games.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Thursday, September 22 at 5:35pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Friday, September 23 at 5:35pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Saturday, September 24 at 5:35pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
- Sunday, September 25 at 12:35pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/22 | Hayden Wesneski | 24 | R | 2.30 | 1-1 | 2.86 | 9.00 |
| Mitch Keller | 26 | R | 4.03 | 5-11 | 3.90 | 2.28 | |
| 9/23 | Javier Assad | 25 | R | 3.86 | 1-2 | 4.78 | 1.59 |
| Bryse Wilson | 24 | R | 6.07 | 3-9 | 5.28 | 2.58 | |
| 9/24 | Wade Miley | 35 | L | 3.48 | 1-1 | 4.21 | 1.92 |
| Johan Oviedo | 24 | R | 3.69 | 3-2 | 4.06 | 2.00 | |
| 9/25 | Adrian Sampson | 30 | R | 3.35 | 2-5 | 3.75 | 2.54 |
| Luis Ortiz | 23 | R | 0.84 | 0-0 | 2.64 | 2.00 |
What to Watch For
- Keegan Thompson has returned from back stiffness and will see work out of the bullpen.
- Wesneski was outstanding in his last start against the Rockies going seven strong innings.
- The Cubs have averaged only 2.5 runs a game in the last six contests.