Game One Hundred Forty-Three: Cubs (82-60) vs. Pirates (86-56)
- Game Time – 12:35pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: Comcast SportsNet – Radio: WBBM 780, Cubs Radio Network, XM Radio Channels 184, 844
- Location – PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Jason Hammel (8-6, 3.59/1.12/3.72) vs. Gerrit Cole (16-8, 2.54/1.12/2.70)
The Cubs resume the 11-game road trip today with a day-night doubleheader in Pittsburgh. The Cubs and Pirates will play four times in the next three days. The Cubs actually have seven games on the schedule against the Pirates in the next six days. And 10 of the Cubs final 20 games of the regular season are with the Pirates and Cardinals.
The Cubs enter play today four games back of the Pirates for home field in the NL Wild Card Game. The Cubs and Pirates have their sights on the Cardinals. The Cubs are 6 ½ games behind the Cardinals while the Pirates are only 2 ½ back of St. Louis. The Cardinals are in Milwaukee for the next three days.
The Cubs are seven games ahead of the Giants in the Wild Card race.
This afternoon’s game is the makeup from Aug. 3. The opener of the three game series at PNC was postponed after two lengthy rain delays. Jon Lester and Francisco Liriano were the starters that night.
Jason Hammel and Gerrit Cole square off in the opener of the four-game series and the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader is a match-up of lefties. Jon Lester is scheduled to face a revitalized J.A. Happ. Wednesday is Jake Arrieta and A.J. Burnett. The series is scheduled to conclude Thursday afternoon with Kyle Hendricks taking on Charlie Morton.
The Cubs are 7-5 against the Pirates this year with seven games left on the schedule. This is the Cubs last trip of the regular season to Pittsburgh.
Today all starts with Jason Hammel …
Jason Hammel put together a quality start his last time out against the Cardinals. Hammel worked through mechanical issues early and pounded the strike zone once his teammates gave him room to make a mistake. Hammel took a shutout into the seventh inning before turning the game over to the pen. The Cardinals scored five runs in the seventh, three were charged to Hammel. In six-plus innings, Hammel allowed three runs on four hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
Hammel has shown signs of the getting back on track from the injury that derailed his season on July 8. Hammel is 3-2 in his last 10 starts with a 5.11 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, and 1-0 in the last two times out with a 5.73 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
On the road this season, Hammel is 6-4 in 13 starts with a 3.42 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. The keys for Hammel today is to pitch a clean first inning, establish his fastball command and keep the ball down.
Today is Hammel’s third start of the season against the Pirates. Jason Hammel is 1-1 in the first two with a 2.08 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. The loss was at PNC on April 22 after he allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts in five innings.
Pirates Career Numbers against Jason Hammel
- Andrew McCutchen: 6-for-26 with one double, two home runs and one walk
- Pedro Alvarez: 4-for-21 with one triple, two home runs and one walk
- Travis Ishikawa: 2-for-19
- Neil Walker: 4-for-15 with two walks
- Starling Marte: 3-for-13
- Josh Harrison: 1-for-11 with one walk
- Jordy Mercer: 3-for-13 with one double
- Mike Morse: 4-for-10 with two doubles, one home run and one walk
- Aramis Ramirez: 2-for-10 with one home run and one walk
- Travis Snider: 4-for-10 with two home runs
- Gregory Polanco: 3-for-9 with one double and one home run
- Francisco Cervelli: 4-for-8 with one double
- Chris Stewart: 3-for-5 with one walk
- Pedro Florimon: Two walks
- Jung Ho Kang: 0-for-1
The Cubs get their third look of the season at Gerrit Cole. The Pirates No. 1 starter was pushed back to today for several reasons. The Pirates are lining up Cole to start the Wild Card Game and Clint Hurdle wanted his top starter on the mound today to set a tone for the series.
Cole is coming off a tremendous outing against the Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball nine days ago. Cole pitched seven innings of scoreless baseball and allowed just two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Cole is 1-1 in his last two starts with a 4.09 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. And since the break, Cole is 3-5 in 10 starts with a 2.98 ERA and 1.12 WHIP (25 runs, 21 earned, on 57 hits with 14 walks and 59 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings).
At PNC this year, Cole is 8-3 in 13 starts with a 2.74 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. Cole faces the Cubs for the third time on the season. Gerrit Cole is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. The Cubs lost to Cole on April 29 and finally beat him on May 16.
Cubs Career Numbers against Gerrit Cole
- Starlin Castro: 5-for-13 with one walk
- Anthony Rizzo: 5-for-11 with one double and two walks
- Chris Coghlan: 2-for-10 with one walk
- Dexter Fowler: 2-for-8 with one walk
- Chris Denorfia: 3-for-6 with one double and one walk
- Javier Baez: 1-for-6 with one home run
- Kris Bryant: 2-for-3 with two walks
- Tommy La Stella: 0-for-3
- Jonathan Herrera: 0-for-2
- Miguel Montero: 1-for-2
- Addison Russell: 0-for-2
- Matt Szczur: 1-for-1
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …