MLB Game Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (52-72) vs. Chicago Cubs (69-53)

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
First Pitch: 2:20 PM ET
Broadcast: Marquee Sports Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh

Team Records & Form

Team	Record	Last 10 Games	Road/Home Split	Season Series
Cubs	69–53	4–6 (.226 AVG)	37–23 at home	Lead 6–3
Pirates	52–72	3–7 (.223 AVG)	18–43 on road	Trail 3–6

Chicago looks to clinch the series and extend its dominance over Pittsburgh, while the Pirates aim to avoid their 73rd loss and build on Friday’s narrow win.

Pitching Matchup

Pitcher	Team	W–L	ERA	WHIP	K/BB	Notes
Javier Assad	Cubs	0–1	9.00	2.25	2/2	Second start of season; looking to rebound after rough debut
Carmen Mlodzinski	Pirates	2–7	4.20	1.39	62/28	Solid command; struggles with hard contact

Assad was tagged for four runs in four innings in his season debut. Mlodzinski has shown flashes but has yet to find consistency in the rotation.

Key Hitters to Watch

Chicago Cubs

• Seiya Suzuki: .271 AVG, 27 HR, 85 RBI – top 10 in MLB HR and RBI
• Pete Crow-Armstrong: .254 AVG, 27 HR, 78 RBI – dynamic power-speed combo
• Nico Hoerner: .294 AVG, 20 doubles, 3 triples, 4 HR – table-setter with speed

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Bryan Reynolds: .247 AVG, 13 HR, 61 RBI – leads team in hits and RBI
• Andrew McCutchen: .243 AVG, 11 HR, 40 RBI – veteran presence with power vs Cubs
• Jack Suwinski: Go-ahead HR on Friday; 3 career game-winning HRs in 9th or later

Game Trends & Betting Insights

• Cubs: 36–20 at home; 34–17 ATS after a loss; 5 straight one-run games vs PIT
• Pirates: 26–22 ATS as road underdogs; 36–22 when allowing 0 HR
• Over/Under: UNDER has hit in 6 of last 10 Cubs games; Pirates trending OVER
• Prediction: Cubs 5, Pirates 3 (Under 8 runs)

Injury Report

Chicago Cubs

• Miguel Amaya (ankle), Mike Soroka (shoulder), Jameson Taillon (calf), Eli Morgan (elbow), Justin Steele (elbow) – IL

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Oneil Cruz (concussion), Endy Rodriguez (elbow), Enmanuel Valdez (shoulder), Justin Lawrence (elbow), Tim Mayza (shoulder), Jared Jones (elbow) – IL