Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates – Series Preview (September 2-4): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (71-66) are currently in their hottest stretch of the season by far, completing a sweep of the Nationals in Washington Sunday for their sixth consecutive win and ninth in the last 10 games. They have managed to pull themselves five games above the .500 mark and are just three behind the Braves for the final spot in the National League Wild Card race.
Craig Counsell‘s squad is on an historic offensive tear at the moment, having scored a whopping 99 runs over their last 10 games as they have feasted on weak opponents. Now they return from a highly successful three-city road trip to face one of the struggling teams they just beat up on, the Pirates, with a three-game set starting on Labor Day.
Pittsburgh (63-73) lost two of three against Cleveland after being swept by the Cubs last week. Their bullpen has been a complete disaster over the last month and the entire pitching staff had an MLB-worst 5.57 ERA in August. Over their last six losses, they have surrendered a staggering 67 runs, or about 11.2 runs per defeat.
The Pirates will once again be able to deploy both of their talented rookie starters, Jared Jones and Paul Skenes, against Chicago in this series. The two potential aces will give them a chance to win but no lead is safe with their current relief corps, a fact proved by the Cubs’ seven-run comeback Wednesday after Skenes left his start ahead 10-3.
Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds had huge offensive performances against the North Siders and can do major damage again. The Bucs were successful in their previous trip to Wrigley Field this year, taking three or four in late May.
The Cubs have at least made themselves a factor in the race with this hot streak, something not many people expected even two weeks ago. That being said, they still have a long way to go if they want to catch up to a postseason berth. A big part of that is continuing to take care of business against bad teams like the Pirates, especially with two series against first-place teams following on the schedule.
They should just keep winning and see what happens. If nothing else, they can make the teams above them in the standings sweat and you never know, someone else might crack under the pressure. It would be kind of fun to be on the other end of a September collapse for a change.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, September 2 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, September 3 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, September 4 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/2 | Jameson Taillon | 32 | R | 3.85 | 9-8 | 4.15 | 4.00 |
| Jared Jones | 23 | R | 3.88 | 5-7 | 4.02 | 3.40 | |
| 9/3 | Justin Steele | 29 | L | 3.09 | 5-5 | 3.13 | 3.85 |
| Paul Skenes | 22 | R | 2.23 | 8-2 | 2.73 | 5.23 | |
| 9/4 | Shōta Imanaga | 31 | L | 3.14 | 11-3 | 3.73 | 6.43 |
| Bailey Falter | 27 | L | 4.41 | 6-7 | 4.22 | 2.38 |
What to Watch For
- Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to wreak havoc on the bases and is driving the ball with authority.
- Dansby Swanson had six hits against the Nationals and is working the ball to the opposite field.
- Steele was much better against the Pirates last week, allowing just two runs after giving up 10 to them in his first two starts in 2024.
- Backup catcher Christian Bethancourt is hitting .387 with three home runs in 12 games with the Cubs this season.