The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are finishing off their three game series on Thursday and the game from PNC Park starts at 12:35 pm ET and has Kyle Hendricks and Jeff Locke in the pitching matchup and the NL Central game has both teams looking to get on the right track heading to the back of April.

Kris Bryant has been called up along with Addison Russell for the Cubs and that has helped spark the team to an 8-6 start and they are second in the division. The Pirates know where the Cubs are coming from, as they were a doormat for 20 years and now have turned into a winning club. The Cubs come in having won two of the last three games and they won the first two matchups of the series before losing to the Bucs on Wednesday.

The Cubs are coming into the season with high expectations and Bryant has been part of that and he will start in the outfield for this game against the Pirates. The team is 1.5 games back of the Cardinals and after the way things have been the past few years, the Cubs will take that. The Pirates come in having lots two of three after winning three against the Brewers and now they will try and push up in the division, as they are fourth at 7-8 on the season.

Starlin Castro has played well for the Cubs and with Russell coming up, he wants to keep things going at shortstop. Castro has been strong and the Cubs come in playing well and he has nine hits in his last 19 and he has the chance to do it again on Thursday. Castro helped the team win on Tuesday in the 9-8 victory and he had a home run in that game and a two run single.

Bryant comes in after going 3-for-4 on Monday and he is looking to keep his numbers up coming into his first full stretch in the majors. Russell is looking to make an impact and he is the future of the team along with Bryant for the Cubs. The two teams will play again in Chicago at the end of the month and they will also play again in the middle of May.

Gregory Polanco helped the Pirates win with a home run off of Jason Hammel and he is looking to stay strong heading into the final matchup. The Cubs have played well and Joe Maddon has the team thinking playoffs. The Cubs have as much talent as anyone and with Jon Lester looking to get back on track, the team still has its best to come.

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