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Series preview: Pirates head to Wrigley in four-game set with Cubs

The Chicago tour continues!

By Jeremy_Brener
Chicago Cubs v Pittsburgh Pirates Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Pittsburgh Pirates (48-85) vs. Chicago Cubs (59-75), April 8-11, 2021

Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

TV: AT&T Sports Pittsburgh

Radio: KDKA 100.1 FM & 1020 AM

Cubs SB Nation Site: Bleed Cubbie Blue

The Pirates head back to where it all started this season, Wrigley Field, to face the Cubs in a battle for bragging rights, pride and draft position.

Here’s a look at what we can expect this weekend:

Projected Starters

Thursday, 8:05 p.m. EST

Mitch Keller (4-10, 6.75 ERA) vs. Keegan Thompson (3-3, 3.09 ERA)

Friday, 2:20 p.m. EST

Steven Brault (0-3, 4.57 ERA) vs. Alec Mills (6-6, 4.32 ERA)

Saturday, 2:20 p.m. EST

TBD vs. Kyle Hendricks (14-6, 4.43 ERA)

Sunday, 2:20 p.m. EST

Wil Crowe (3-7, 5.46 ERA) vs. Zach Davies (6-10, 4.91 ERA)

Projected Lineups

Pirates

  1. Ben Gamel (LF)
  2. Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B)
  3. Bryan Reynolds (CF)
  4. Colin Moran (1B)
  5. Jacob Stallings (C)
  6. Yoshi Tsutsugo (RF)
  7. Cole Tucker (2B)
  8. Anthony Alford (LF)
  9. Starting Pitcher

Cubs

  1. Rafael Ortega (CF)
  2. Frank Schwindel (1B)
  3. Ian Happ (LF)
  4. Patrick Wisdom (3B)
  5. Matt Duffy (2B)
  6. Jason Heyward (RF)
  7. Austin Romine (C)
  8. Andrew Romine (SS)
  9. Starting Pitcher

The Pirates face a familiar September ahead of them, one that’s outside playoff contention. However, the team has remained competitive as of late, winning or splitting their last three series before getting swept by the Chicago White Sox.

The team is also rotating several new players in and out of the lineup to determine who could be part of the team in 2022. The hottest flash in the pan the team has now is Yoshi Tsutsugo, who struggled earlier this year with the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers, but might have found a home in Pittsburgh for the time being.

Tsutsugo smashed one of the most majestic walk-off home runs of the year against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday. As for the pitching staff, the team has weaved in new pitchers from the beginning of the season over time. All of these guys come in with a mixed bag. You could get a gem once in a while, but these guys are incredibly inconsistent, which is typical of a rotation on a last place team.

With the inconsistencies in pitching and hitting on both sides of the diamond, this has the look and feel of a 2-2 series split.

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