Cubs vs Pirates Series Preview (September 24-26): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights
Do you believe in miracles?
You better, because that’s the only thing that’ll get the 2019 Cubs playing baseball into October. Very rarely is a series a “must sweep,” but if the Cubs have any chance of capitalizing on their 2.2% playoff odds, this is certainly is one of them.
With an elimination number of only three in the race for the National League’s second Wild Card spot, the Cubs could take two of three in this series and still end up being eliminated by the end of it. For that matter, they could take all three against Pittsburgh and find themselves eliminated if the Brewers were to sweep their series.
At this point, it’s more a matter of seeing just how bad this collapse will get than hoping for any realistic chance at a playoff spot. It’s a bad, bad spot. But it’s the spot they’re in.
Game time and broadcast info
- Tuesday, September 24 at 6:05pm CT on NBC Sports Chicago
- Wednesday, September 25 at 6:05pm CT on WGN
- Thursday, September 26 at 6:05pm CT on NBC Sports Chicago
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/24 | Kyle Hendricks | 29 | R | 3.37 | 11-9 | 3.69 | 4.53 |
| Mitch Keller | 23 | R | 7.74 | 1-5 | 3.38 | 4.13 | |
| 9/25 | Jon Lester | 35 | L | 4.51 | 13-10 | 4.51 | 3.10 |
| Dario Agrazal | 24 | R | 5.08 | 4-5 | 6.06 | 2.00 | |
| 9/26 | TBD | ||||||
| Joe Musgrove | 26 | R | 4.49 | 10-12 | 3.91 | 4.03 |
What to Watch For
- Assuming his ankle continues to hold up, Anthony Rizzo has a shot of reaching a couple of individual milestones – 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. Tony has had an incredibly productive season and not reaching one or both milestones wouldn’t change that, but it sure would be fun to see him get there.
- Kyle Schwarber, too, is chasing a big individual goal as he is only three home runs away from 40.