On The Horizon: Cubs vs. Pirates series preview

Since the Cubs just played the Pirates last week, you’re likely pretty familiar with them.

You’re also certainly familiar with the two incidents that happened during that series, the Anthony Rizzo slide into the plate on Memorial Day that was eventually deemed “illegal but clean,” and the Joe Musgrove slide into Javier Baez (that cleared the benches, depicted above) two days later.

There’s a history between these two clubs on things like this that date back to a slide Chris Coghlan made into Jung Ho Kang in September 2015.

I mention this only because things like this do have a tendency to come up again. Personally, I hope there’s simply a lot of clean baseball this weekend and lots of Cubs winning.

Fun fact

Not so fun for the Pirates: They have lost five of seven since the series against the Cubs last week in Pittsburgh. In that same time frame, the Cubs have won six of seven.

Pitching matchups

Friday: Mike Montgomery, LHP (1-1, 3.89 ERA, 1.135 WHIP, 3.85 FIP) vs. Chad Kuhl, RHP (4-3, 3.86 ERA, 1.315 WHIP, 4.80 FIP)

Saturday: Jon Lester, LHP (6-2, 2.44 ERA, 1.157 WHIP, 4.15 FIP) vs. Nick Kingham, RHP (2-2, 4.03 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 3.46 FIP)

Sunday: Kyle Hendricks, RHP (4-4, 3.19 ERA, 1.064 WHIP, 4.40 FIP) vs. Joe Musgrove, RHP (2-1, 1.89 ERA, 1.211 WHIP, 3.49 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Friday: 1:20 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Chicago, MLB Network (outside Chicago and Pittsburgh markets)

Saturday: 1;20 p.m. CT, ABC7 Chicago

Sunday: 1:20 p.m. CT, WGN

Prediction

Interestingly, the same three starters who faced the Pirates in Pittsburgh last week will go in this series. Thus, I will predict the same result: The Cubs taking two of three.

Up next

The Cubs travel to Miller Park for a three-game series against the Brewers which begins Monday night.