Chicago faces Pittsburgh, aims to build on Darvish's solid outing
Chicago Cubs (64-57, second in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (50-70, fifth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (8-9, 3.48 ERA) Pirates: Joe Musgrove (8-11, 4.71 ERA)
LINE: Cubs favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Chicago heads into the matchup fresh off a strong showing by Yu Darvish. Darvish threw seven innings, surrendering zero runs on four hits with 10 strikeouts against Philadelphia.
The Pirates are 20-35 against the rest of their division. The Pittsburgh offense has compiled a .266 batting average as a team this season, good for sixth in the National League. Bryan Reynolds leads the team with an average of .338.
The Cubs have gone 27-23 against division opponents. Chicago has a collective on-base percentage of .328, good for fourth in the National League. Anthony Rizzo leads the club with a mark of .388.
TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Bell leads the Pirates with 31 home runs and is batting .285. Reynolds has 14 hits and is batting .350 over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Javier Baez leads the Cubs with 64 extra base hits and is batting .286. Nicholas Castellanos is 17-for-41 with five doubles, five home runs and six RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 2-8, .258 batting average, 6.49 ERA, outscored by 19 runs
Cubs: 4-6, .267 batting average, 6.12 ERA, outscored by 13 runs
Pirates Injuries: Jameson Taillon: (elbow), Edgar Santana: (elbow), Richard Rodriguez: (shoulder), Chad Kuhl: (elbow), Nick Burdi: (biceps), Gregory Polanco: (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: (finger), Francisco Cervelli: (concussion).
Cubs Injuries: Allen Webster: (hand), Brandon Morrow: (elbow), Brandon Kintzler: (pectoral), Craig Kimbrel: (knee), Kendall Graveman: (elbow), Steve Cishek: (hip), Xavier Cedeno: (wrist), Jason Heyward: (knee), Daniel Descalso: (ankle), Javier Baez: (illness), Willson Contreras: (hamstring).
