{"id":61153,"date":"2023-08-25T09:52:40","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T13:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=61153"},"modified":"2023-08-25T09:52:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T13:52:40","slug":"cubs-pirates-look-play-spoiler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/08\/25\/cubs-pirates-look-play-spoiler\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates Look to Play Spoiler in NL Central Matchup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/08\/23\/cubs-and-tigers-face-off\/\" target=\"_self\">Chicago Cubs<\/a> are gearing up to face the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/08\/24\/loaded-minors-helps-pittsburgh\/\" target=\"_self\">Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> in a highly anticipated game at PNC Park. Both teams will be looking for a victory as they strive to improve their records and climb the ranks in the National League Central division.<\/p>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;34517&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2>Cubs Take on Pirates in Exciting Matchup at PNC Park<\/h2>\n<p>Taking the mound for the Pirates will be their talented starting pitcher, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kellemi03.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Keller<\/a>. With a solid record of 10-8 and an ERA of 4.22, Keller has proven himself to be a reliable asset for the team. He will be working hard to keep the Cubs&#8217; lineup in check and give his team a chance to secure the win.<\/p>\n<p>On the other side, the Cubs will be relying on their veteran pitcher, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hendrky01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Hendricks<\/a>, to lead them to victory. Hendricks currently holds a record of 5-6 and an ERA of 3.83. Known for his precision and control on the mound, Hendricks will be aiming to silence the Pirates&#8217; batters and give his team the edge in this matchup.<\/p>\n<p>The Pirates, with a record of 57-71, are looking to bounce back from a tough season and showcase their potential. Despite facing some challenges, they have remained competitive and will be eager to give their fans a thrilling game to remember.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Cubs have been performing admirably this season, boasting a record of 67-60. With their eyes set on a playoff spot, they will be determined to secure another victory and continue their ascent in the division standings.<\/p>\n<p>[metabet_core_game_tile query=&#8221;530639&#8243; size=&#8221;350&#215;300&#8243; site_id=&#8221;lastwordonsports&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>The game is scheduled for 7:05 PM ET on August 25th at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Fans can catch all the excitement on SportsNet PT.<\/p>\n<h3>What to Watch For:<\/h3>\n<p>&#8211; Cubs&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bellico01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cody Bellinger<\/a>, with a batting average of .320, has been a consistent threat at the plate. Will he continue his impressive hitting performance and make an impact in this game?<br \/>\n&#8211; Keep an eye on the Pirates&#8217; lineup as they strive to overcome their recent struggles and put together a strong offensive showing against the Cubs&#8217; pitching staff.<\/p>\n<h3>Injuries:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Pittsburgh Pirates:<\/strong> RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/perdoan01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Angel Perdomo<\/a> (Elbow, D60), RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garcija04.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jarl\u00edn Garc\u00eda<\/a> (Arm, D60), RF <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davishe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Henry Davis<\/a> (Hand, D10), SP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/velasvi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vince Velasquez<\/a> (Elbow, D60), RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kranima01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Kranick<\/a> (Elbow, D60), SS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/marcatu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tucupita Marcano<\/a> (Knee, D60), RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mlodzca01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carmen Mlodzinski<\/a> (Elbow, D15), SS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cruzon01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oneil Cruz<\/a> (Ankle, D60), SP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brubajt01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JT Brubaker<\/a> (Elbow, D60)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Chicago Cubs:<\/strong> RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=roberet01,robert001eth&amp;search=Ethan+Roberts&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ethan Roberts<\/a> (Elbow, D60), RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/heuerco01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Codi Heuer<\/a> (Elbow, D60), RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/boxbebr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brad Boxberger<\/a> (Forearm, D60), SP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/stromma01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marcus Stroman<\/a> (Rib, D15), RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hughebr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Hughes<\/a> (Knee, D60), RP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/burdini01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-25_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Burdi<\/a> (Appendicitis, D60)<\/p>\n<p>Main photo credits:<\/p>\n<p>Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chicago Cubs are gearing up to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in a highly anticipated game at PNC Park. Both teams will be looking for a victory as they strive to improve their records and climb the ranks in the National League Central division. [pickup_prop id=&#8221;34517&#8243;] Cubs Take on Pirates in Exciting Matchup at PNC [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4389,"featured_media":61154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,26],"tags":[899,6223,75,285,6411,2762,2551,3434,6324,1255],"class_list":["post-61153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cubs","category-pirates","tag-cody-bellinger","tag-jt-brubaker","tag-kyle-hendricks","tag-marcus-stroman","tag-max-kranick","tag-mitch-keller","tag-nick-burdi","tag-oneil-cruz","tag-tucupita-marcano","tag-vince-velasquez"],"modified_by":"Troy Brock","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}