Cubs vs Pirates Preview: Heroic Arms Face Off

The Cubs rolled into Pittsburgh sitting at 29-24, but they're hurting right now. They just lost eight straight games. That's rough. You can feel the pressure building. Ben Brown takes the mound tonight for Chicago, looking to snap this painful streak. The Pirates sit at 27-26, so this is anybody's game. Both teams need this win badly. The Cubs have been solid all year with balanced pitching and strong defense. Tonight they get a chance to prove they can bounce back against Carmen Mlodzinski and the Pirates. It's time to show some toughness.

Here's what you need to know about the Pirates: they have Paul Skenes. He's a superstar pitcher and one of the best arms in all of baseball. When Skenes takes the mound, Pittsburgh has a real chance to win. Tonight it's Carmen Mlodzinski on the hill for the Pirates, not their ace. Still, the Pirates have solid pitching around Skenes with veteran Mitch Keller backing him up. The bullpen features Dennis Santana as closer and Gregory Soto in the middle innings. Pittsburgh knows their formula works: great starting pitching plus a solid bullpen gives them winning chances.

Both teams are dealing with injuries that matter. The Cubs have Matt Shaw out with a minor issue but he's been hot when healthy, batting around 301. Edward Cabrera is nursing a blister. The bigger losses are Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton on longer injured lists. For Pittsburgh, Ryan O'Hearn's quad strain will keep him out for about a month. Joey Bart is banged up too. Chris Devenski should return soon from illness. These missing pieces change how each team can compete. Getting healthy bodies back will be huge for both clubs as the season keeps rolling.