Chicago Cubs @ Pittsburgh Pirates – Series Preview (August 26-28): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (65-66) took two of three from the Marlins for their third consecutive series win over the weekend. Chicago is climbing up the standings but not putting together the kind of winning streak needed to truly get back in the race as days continue falling off the calendar. The second stop on their three-city road trip is at PNC Park for three games against the Pirates starting Monday.
Pittsburgh (62-68) ended the month of July with a 55-53 record that put them right in the heart of the playoff race. Then the bottom completely fell out with a 7-15 mark so far in August that featured a nine-game losing streak that dropped them to last place in the National League Central.
The offense continues to be the Pirates’ major liability in 2024 with a .674 team OPS that is the fourth worst in baseball. All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds remains the best hitter on the team with 19 home runs and a .794 OPS. Young shortstop Oneil Cruz is having a breakout year with 18 home runs and the second-highest OPS on the roster.
Of course, the only thing anyone is talking about in Pittsburgh is ace Paul Skenes, who is having an unbelievable rookie season with a 2.16 ERA and a whopping 130 strikeouts in just 104 innings pitched. The rest of the pitching staff is doing a decent job as well with a 3.93 team ERA that is 13th in MLB.
Fellow rookie Jared Jones has been on the IL since early July and is progressing in his rehab to the point that he could be activated for Tuesday’s TBD start. Even with dynamic starters, the staff is vulnerable because the bullpen has blown several leads. The Cubs have lost four of seven against their division rivals so far in 2024, however, just another part of their overall struggles against the NL Central this season.
Craig Counsell‘s group needs to go on a real hot streak right now and they are certainly getting Pittsburgh at a good time. The Cubs are playing much better baseball than they were in the first half, but being anything short of excellent won’t be good enough now that every series is make-or-break. Do they have another gear? We are about to find out.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, August 26 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, August 27 at 5:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, August 28 at 11:35am CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 8/26 | Jameson Taillon | 32 | R | 3.77 | 8-8 | 4.14 | 3.88 |
| Mitch Keller | 28 | R | 3.76 | 11-7 | 3.91 | 3.35 | |
| 8/27 | Justin Steele | 29 | L | 3.07 | 4-5 | 3.18 | 3.91 |
| TBA | |||||||
| 8/28 | Kyle Hendricks | 34 | R | 6.33 | 3-10 | 5.24 | 2.31 |
| Paul Skenes | 22 | R | 2.16 | 8-2 | 2.79 | 5.20 |
What to Watch For
- Miguel Amaya has eight hits and two homers in his last three starts.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong reached base six times in Miami and also had two dingers, one of which was inside the park.
- Taillon has allowed 20 runs across 26.1 innings pitched in his last five starts .