Chicago will try to extend its two-game winning streak when it travels to Pittsburgh for a four-game series that begins on Thursday night. The Cubs wrapped up their series in Miami with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night. Pittsburgh is on a six-game losing streak following a 14-2 loss to the Yankees.
Chicago has already been eliminated from playoff contention, but it has been competitive over the past two weeks. The Cubs swept the Mets in a three-game series last week before dropping two out of three against Colorado over the weekend. They bounced back by winning two out of three at Miami earlier this week, wrapping up that series with a 4-3 win on Wednesday. Chicago is on a seven-game road trip that concludes with four games in Pittsburgh this weekend. The Cubs have the fifth-worst record in the National League, sitting 1.5 games back of Colorado in the standings.
Series W!
Stroman: 6 IP, 7 Ks
Wisdom: 23rd HR of the season@Vegas pic.twitter.com/48f0ld6w3w— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 22, 2022
They have not been a great offensive team this season, ranked No. 19 with a batting average of .240. Left fielder Ian Happ leads the way with 143 hits, including 17 home runs. Shortstop Nico Hoerner has been the bright spot, racking up 129 base knocks at a .291 clip. They are facing a Pittsburgh pitching staff that is No. 27 with an ERA of 4.74. Right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski is going to start for Chicago in this game. He allowed one run on three hits across seven innings against Colorado last Saturday, looking very sharp in his first MLB start. Wesneski had previously made two relief appearances, allowing three runs across 8.2 innings while striking out 11.