National League Central Battle: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs

The Pittsburgh Pirates will host the Chicago Cubs for the second game of their two-game series on Wednesday night. The red-hot Pirates were able to win the series opener against the Cubs, 5-4. The Cubs will try to bounce back and win the series finale on Wednesday night.

The Chicago Cubs are now tied with the Milwaukee Brewers atop the National League Central Division after the Brewers won on Tuesday night. With their win on Tuesday night, the Pirates moved to just 3 games back of the second Wild Card spot in the National League. The Chicago Cubs are -115 over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.

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Hamels Debuts For Cubs

Veteran left-hander Cole Hamels will make his debut for the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. The Cubs acquired Hamels via trade last week and will be looking for the lefty to provide veteran leadership and stability in their starting rotation. Hamels struggled this season in Texas, but will look for a fresh start with the Cubs on Wednesday night.

Javier Baez continues to lead the Chicago Cubs offense. Baez blasted a three run homer in the series opening loss, and will look to do more damage against the Pirates on Wednesday night. The electrifying second baseman has blasted 22 homers and driven in 82 runs for the Chicago Cubs this season. Baez will need some help on Wednesday night if the Cubs are going to defeat the surging Pirates.

Kingham Makes Start For Pirates

Young right-hander Nick Kingham will make the start for the Pirates on Wednesday night. The rookie has been solid in his first full season in the big leagues and will take on a tough Cubs lineup on Wednesday. Kingham is 5-5 with a 4.80 earned run average in 11 starts this season. He has struggled in his two starts against the Chicago Cubs this season.

The Pirates have gotten back into the playoff race thanks to a red-hot offense. Corey Dickerson leads the team with his .318 batting average but is currently on the disabled list. Third baseman David Freese is having a terrific bounce-back season for the Pirates and is hitting a solid .291. The Pirates will try to make Hamels’ Cubs debut a bust with another strong performance on Wednesday night.

Hamels Wins Cubs Debut

The Pirates made some huge moves in advance of the 2018 Trade Deadline and appear to be trying to make the playoffs. Pittsburgh has been the best team in baseball in the last month of the season and continued winning on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh hopes that Nick Kingham can pitch well on Wednesday to shut down the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs have had an up and down 2018 season and are now in a tie with the Brewers atop the National League Central Division. The Cubs have gotten poor results from their starting rotation this season, but hope that Cole Hamels can provide veteran leadership down the stretch. Look for Hamels to be solid in his Cubs debut, and the Chicago offense to score enough runs to get the win. Bet the Chicago Cubs -115 over the Pirates on Wednesday.

  • Bet on the Chicago Cubs -115
  • Bet on the Pittsburgh Pirates +105
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