Pirates aim to break 7-game slide, play the Cubs
Chicago Cubs (34-38, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (34-37, third in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Marcus Stroman (8-4, 2.45 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 78 strikeouts); Pirates: Johan Oviedo (3-6, 4.40 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 71 strikeouts)
: Cubs -129, Pirates +108; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates play the Chicago Cubs after losing seven straight games.
Pittsburgh has a 34-37 record overall and an 18-17 record at home. The Pirates have a 21-4 record in games when they scored five or more runs.
Chicago has a 34-38 record overall and a 14-21 record on the road. The Cubs have a 26-14 record in games when they record at least eight hits.
The teams meet Tuesday for the fifth time this season. The Cubs are up 4-0 in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Carlos Santana has 16 doubles, six home runs and 34 RBI for the Pirates. Jack Suwinski is 7-for-28 with a double and four home runs over the past 10 games.
Nico Hoerner has 11 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 35 RBI for the Cubs. Christopher Morel is 12-for-36 with a double, a triple, four home runs and 13 RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 2-8, .223 batting average, 5.79 ERA, outscored by 30 runs
Cubs: 8-2, .258 batting average, 3.64 ERA, outscored opponents by 25 runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Jose Hernandez: 15-Day IL (calf), Rob Zastryzny: 15-Day IL (forearm), Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (wrist), Vince Velasquez: 15-Day IL (elbow), Wil Crowe: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ji-Man Choi: 60-Day IL (achilles), Oneil Cruz: 60-Day IL (ankle), JT Brubaker: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jarlin Garcia: 60-Day IL (arm), Max Kranick: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Cubs: Patrick Wisdom: 10-Day IL (wrist), Nick Burdi: 60-Day IL (appendicitis), Brandon Hughes: 15-Day IL (knee), Adrian Sampson: 60-Day IL (right meniscus), Brad Boxberger: 15-Day IL (forearm), Codi Heuer: 60-Day IL (elbow), Ethan Roberts: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
