Bellinger leads Cubs against the Pirates after 4-hit outing
Chicago Cubs (23-16, second in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (17-22, fourth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Justin Steele (0-0, 0.96 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, eight strikeouts); Pirates: Paul Skenes (0-0)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Cubs -112, Pirates -109; over/under is 7 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates after Cody Bellinger’s four-hit game on Friday.
Pittsburgh has a 17-22 record overall and an 8-11 record at home. The Pirates have the sixth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.76.
Chicago has a 10-10 record in road games and a 23-16 record overall. The Cubs are 10th in the majors with 41 total home runs, averaging 1.1 per game.
The teams meet Saturday for the second time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Connor Joe leads the Pirates with a .288 batting average, and has nine doubles, three home runs, 12 walks and 15 RBI. Oneil Cruz is 11-for-34 with two home runs and seven RBI over the last 10 games.
Christopher Morel has three doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 25 RBI for the Cubs. Bellinger is 7-for-13 with two doubles, two home runs and two RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .168 batting average, 3.93 ERA, outscored by 21 runs
Cubs: 5-5, .225 batting average, 2.40 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Jason Delay: 60-Day IL (knee), Marco Gonzales: 15-Day IL (forearm), Ryan Borucki: 15-Day IL (left triceps inflammation), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Cubs: Dansby Swanson: 10-Day IL (knee), Daniel Palencia: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jordan Wicks: 15-Day IL (forearm), Kyle Hendricks: 15-Day IL (back), Drew Smyly: 15-Day IL (hip), Julian Merryweather: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Caleb Kilian: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.