The Pittsburgh Pirates (65-82) take on the Chicago Cubs (78-68) for three games at Wrigley Field this weekend. The Pirates are sending out Steven Brault this afternoon in game one of the series. He has a 4.13 ERA in 100.1 innings, with 82 strikeouts and a 1.41 WHIP. Brault faced the Cubs once as a starter this season, allowing one run on two hits over seven innings on August 17th. He struck out eight batters. He also faced them once in relief back in April and gave up four runs over three innings. Brault has a 3.70 ERA as a starter this season, compared to 6.11 in relief.
The Cubs are countering with veteran lefty Jon Lester, who has a 4.51 ERA in 155.2 innings, with 154 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP. He has faced the Pirates three times this season. Way back on April 8th, he threw two shutout innings before leaving early due to an injury. On July 13th, he allowed three runs over 6.2 innings in a win at Wrigley. On August 17th, with Brault as the opposing pitcher, Lester tossed six shutout innings, despite issuing five walks.
The Cubs hold a 5-8 lead in the season series, including a 1-5 record at Wrigley.
Here are the lineups:
Good Guys
Our afternoon lineup, presented by @Honda.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/inEpIAusVA
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 13, 2019
bad guys
#Cubs Lineup 09/13/19
1. Anthony Rizzo 1B
2. Nicholas Castellanos RF
3. Kris Bryant 3B
4. Willson Contreras C
5. Kyle Schwarber LF
6. Nico Hoerner SS
7. David Bote 2B
8. Albert Almora Jr. CF
9. Jon Lester PStarting Pitcher : Jon Lester
— Daily MLB Lineups (@DailyMLBLineup) September 13, 2019
