Preview Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, September 3, 6:40 CT

Notes from Tuesday…

• SEVENTH INNING NUMBERS: Last night’s loss was the Cubs’ 10th in which they led after seven innings. They have won 55 games in which they led after seven innings. They are 6-49 when trailing after seven innings and 10-8 when the score is tied. So if every one of their games had ended after seven innings, the Cubs would be 62-58-18. (Courtesy of JohnW53 of BCB)
• DANSBY!: Dansby Swanson, last 15 games since August 17: .296/.377/.593 (16-for-54) with four doubles, four home runs, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored.
• EVENTS: Ian Happ, last 22 games since August 7: .322/.402/.633 (29-for-90) with eight doubles, one triple, six home runs, 17 RBI and 19 runs scored.
• The lucky streak: Since July 3, the Cubs are 32-19. Even with Monday’s loss, that’s still the third-best record in MLB during that time, behind only the Diamondbacks (35-17) and Padres (32-18).

Here are today’s details.

Cubs lineup:

Pirates lineup:

Kyle Hendricks, RHP vs. Paul Skenes, RHP

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

This will be the third meeting between Kyle Hendricks and Paul Skenes this year. Given the even schedule, it seems impossible, but that’s the way it is.

Matchup 1: On May 17 at Wrigley Field, Skenes held the Cubs hitless for six innings. Hendricks threw 4⅔ innings, allowing 11 hits and eight runs (seven earned). The Pirates won 7-0.

Matchup 2: At PNC Park last Wednesday, Skenes allowed the Cubs five hits and three runs (two earned) in five innings. Hendricks didn’t make it past the second inning, allowing eight hits and six runs… but the Cubs made an amazing comeback to win 14-10.

Skenes against the Cubs this year: 3.00 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 24 strikeouts in three starts over 15 innings.

Hendricks against the Pirates this year: 11.12 ERA, 2.471 WHIP, three home runs allowed in 11⅓ innings. In fact, half of Kyle’s season ERA of 6.75 can be attributed to the Pirates.

That looks like a big mismatch. But… who knows, maybe the Professor has one last big start in him and the Cubs will finally come to Skenes.

Statcast

Statcast

Today’s game is on the Marquee Sports Network. Find out if Marquee is available through a provider near you here.

Here is MLB.com’s full live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com Game Preview

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The 2024 Game Thread process will be similar to last year’s, what we used for Spring Training.

You will find the match preview two hours before kick-off (90 minutes after night games for some early day games) separately on the front page.

At the same time, a StoryStream with the preview will be posted on the home page under the title “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week/Date) Game Threads.” It will contain all posts about that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the Overflow Thread, as well as the recap when it is posted. The recap will also be visible as a separate post on the home page.

You can also find the Preview, First Pitch Thread, and Overflow Thread in the box labeled “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the home page (you can also find them at this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in this section.

The First Pitch thread will be posted five minutes before game time, then there will be an overflow thread 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.

Discuss among yourselves.