Jon Lester (4-1, 1.96 ERA) and Gerrit Cole (3-3, 3.78 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Chicago Cubs (27-8) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (18-17) at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won the last game 8-2, and Chicago leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 2:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 15 and can be seen on CSCh and RTPT.
Lester pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out four and walking one in an 8-7 win over the Padres. Anthony Rizzo (.279, 29 Rs, 11 HRs, 33 RBIs, 2 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run, one home run, and four RBIs. Cole went 6.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out seven and walking two in a 10-5 win over the Cardinals in his last outing. Andrew McCutchen (.261, 25 Rs, 8 HRs, 16 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
The odds for Chicago and Pittsburgh are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. Within its division, Chicago has a record of 11-11 SU. The Cubs have no trouble scoring as they lead the NL in offense with 0.0 runs per game. Chicago leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 5.2 per game. Chicago’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. The Cubs are the top team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.045 so far this season.
The Pirates are 15-2 against NL Central opponents. Offensively, the Pirates have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Pirates are an excellent base stealing team with 24 stolen bases, ranking fifth in the MLB. The Pirates allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
The Cubs lead the season series, 5-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC
Notes
Pittsburgh has won 47% (9-10) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Chicago has won 94% (16-1) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Pirates managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are heading in with a 21-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Pirates are 2-11. The Cubs have a 2-6 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 18th in home runs, Pittsburgh has hit 35 this season. Chicago ranks 12th with 42 home runs.
Ranking eighth, Chicago is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 9.03 per game. Pittsburgh ranks in the top five at fourth with 9.66.
Ranking sixth, Pittsburgh is in the top 10 of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.786). Chicago ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .813.
The Pirates are 10-14 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Cubs are 12-5 when they allow at least one homer.
