Thompson expected to start for Chicago against Pittsburgh

Updated Sep. 2, 2021 3:20 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Pittsburgh Pirates (48-85, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (59-75, fourth in the NL Central)

Chicago; Thursday, 8:05 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Mitch Keller (4-10, 6.75 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 68 strikeouts) Cubs: Keegan Thompson (3-3, 3.09 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 45 strikeouts)

BOTTOM LINE: Bryan Reynolds and the Pirates will take on the Cubs Thursday.

The Cubs are 33-32 on their home turf. Chicago has hit 171 home runs as a team this season. Patrick Wisdom leads them with 25, averaging one every 10.5 at-bats.

The Pirates are 20-47 on the road. Pittsburgh is slugging .359 as a unit. Bryan Reynolds leads the team with a slugging percentage of .510.

The Cubs won the last meeting 5-3. Kyle Hendricks earned his fifth victory and Kris Bryant went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs for Chicago. Tyler Anderson registered his fifth loss for Pittsburgh.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ian Happ leads the Cubs with 17 home runs and has 42 RBIs.

Reynolds leads the Pirates with 138 hits and has 77 RBIs.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .221 batting average, 5.69 ERA, outscored by 12 runs

Pirates: 4-6, .229 batting average, 5.28 ERA, outscored by 17 runs

INJURIES: Cubs: Brad Wieck: (heart), Kohl Stewart: (elbow), Jonathan Holder: (shoulder), Nick Madrigal: (hamstring), Nico Hoerner: (oblique), Matt Duffy: (neck), David Bote: (ankle), Jose Lobaton: (shoulder), P.J. Higgins: (forearm), Willson Contreras: (knee).

Pirates: Jose Soriano: (elbow), Dillon Peters: (back), Chase De Jong: (knee), Blake Cederlind: (elbow), Trevor Cahill: (calf), JT Brubaker: (thumb), Ke'Bryan Hayes: (hand), Michael Chavis: (elbow).

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