Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates preview, Thursday 4/11, 6:35 CT

In case you have not yet heard, tonight's game will begin 30 minutes early, at 6:35 p.m. CT. And that's because of this forecast. So, here's your local radar again:

Notes:

• Jason Heyward went 3-for-4 with a solo homer yesterday and is hitting .500 (7-for-14) with four homers, eight runs scored, six RBI and six walks (.650 OBP) in his last five games. That homer was his fourth of the season in his 10th game of the season. Heyward did not hit his fourth homer last season until his 52nd game on June 16.
• Heyward leads the Cubs with 10 runs scored and his four homers and 13 hits are both tied for the team lead with Javier Baez.
• Heyward on Saturday in Milwaukee became the first Cub since 1900 to record multiple home runs and multiple steals in the same game, as he went 3-for-3 with three runs, two homers, three RBI, two walks and two stolen bases.
• The Cubs are the only team in baseball with at least six hits in every game they’ve played.
• The Cubs rank fourth in the N.L. with 52 walks drawn. But, Cubs pitching has issued 58 walks in their first 11 games, the second-most in the majors behind the Cardinals (60).

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Pirates lineup:

Jose Quintana, LHP vs. Joe Musgrove, RHP

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Quintana... man, I have no idea. This guy has tremendous talent. He’s just been consistently mediocre since he came to the Cubs. And this year? One relief appearance that was decent (four innings, two unearned runs, eight strikeouts). Then he started vs. a team he’s previously dominated, the Brewers, and stunk out the joint.

So now, the Pirates. Q made two starts vs. Pittsburgh last year, posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.000 WHIP in 10 innings. That’s pretty good. Current Pirates are hitting .234 (18-for-77) against him. That’s pretty good, too.

What will he do tonight? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Joe Musgrove made two starts against the Cubs last year and allowed just two runs in 14 innings, with 12 strikeouts. In the first of those starts, this happened [VIDEO].

So that little kerfuffle was interesting. Musgrove, like Q, has made one relief appearance and one start this year, but unlike Q, he’s been really good: nine innings, three hits, no runs, one walk, nine strikeouts.

Clearly, we are doomed.

Today’s game is on NBC Sports Chicago. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Pirates market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

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The 2019 Game Thread procedure will be the same as the one used in previous years. Here’s how it works.

You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page, two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page. The First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads will be published in that stream, as well as the recap. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post, and at the time I write the recap I will rename the stream “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads” so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread, all the overflow threads and recap in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in the game’s StoryStream as noted above.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at one hour, two hours and 2:45 after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.