Chicago to visit Pittsburgh Thursday

Updated Sep. 30, 2021 3:01 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Chicago Cubs (68-90, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (59-99, fifth in the NL Central)

Pittsburgh; Thursday, 6:35 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Justin Steele (3-4, 5.04 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 52 strikeouts) Pirates: TBD

BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs head to play the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

The Pirates are 35-42 in home games in 2020. Pittsburgh hitters have posted a team on-base percentage of .304 this season, led by Bryan Reynolds with a mark of .376.

The Cubs are 29-48 on the road. Chicago's lineup has 205 home runs this season, Ian Happ leads the club with 24 homers.

The Cubs won the last meeting 3-2. Adam Morgan secured his second victory and Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs for Chicago. Chasen Shreve took his third loss for Pittsburgh.

TOP PERFORMERS: Reynolds leads the Pirates with 24 home runs and is batting .296.

Happ leads the Cubs with 44 extra base hits and is batting .223.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .224 batting average, 5.93 ERA, outscored by 17 runs

Cubs: 2-8, .271 batting average, 6.64 ERA, outscored by 22 runs

INJURIES: Pirates: Bryse Wilson: (hamstring), Duane Underwood Jr.: (shoulder), Jose Soriano: (elbow), Dillon Peters: (back), Luis Oviedo: (shoulder), Connor Overton: (shoulder), Chase De Jong: (knee), Blake Cederlind: (elbow), Trevor Cahill: (calf), JT Brubaker: (shoulder), Steven Brault: (arm), Ke'Bryan Hayes: (undisclosed).

Cubs: Brad Wieck: (heart), Keegan Thompson: (shoulder), Kohl Stewart: (elbow), Manuel Rodriguez: (shoulder), Jonathan Holder: (shoulder), Jason Heyward: (concussion), Michael Hermosillo: (forearm), Patrick Wisdom: (wrist), Alfonso Rivas: (finger), Nick Madrigal: (hamstring), Nico Hoerner: (soreness), Jose Lobaton: (shoulder), P.J. Higgins: (forearm), Robinson Chirinos: (oblique).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.