The MLB playoffs continue with the NL Wild card game on Wednesday with the Chicago Cubs visiting the Pittsburgh Pirates and the game is on TV and streaming from TBS. The matchup starts past 8 pm ET and comes from PNC Bank Park as the Bucs host the wild card game once again in the National League postseason.
The Cubs will be throwing Jake Arrieta in the game, while the Pirates have Gerrit Cole and both pitchers have performed well this season. The Cubs finished one game back of the Pirates and now the two will face off to see who plays against the Cardinals in the next series in the NLDS. These two teams know each other well from being in the same division and the Cards are in the same boat.
The Cubs won the last game between the two teams 4-0, but the Pirates won the game before that 4-0 and the season series likely will not have much bearing on this game. The Cubs come in as a young team without playoff experience apart from veterans like Jon Lester and Austin Jackson, while the Pirates have been here before. Cole comes in after previously pitching in the playoffs, while Andrew McCutchen will be looking to get his team into the next round.
The Cubs lineup has Dexter Fowler leading things off and he will be followed by Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant along with Anthony Rizzo. That is a very strong lineup start and the team has Tommy La Stella and Starlin Castro next, while Miguel Montero, Addison Russell and Arrieta finish things off. Joe Maddon opted to go with La Stella over Jorge Soler or Chris Coghlan, but those players could factor into the game later on.
The Pirates have emphasized defense for this game and that is why Pedro Alvarez will be out to start and Sean Rodriguez will be in. Alvarez his 27 home runs and he likely will get a chance to hit in this game at some point for Clint Hurdle, who said he wanted the best defensive team on the field. The team has Gregory Polanco starting off before Josh Harrison, McCutchen and Starlin Marte, while Francisco Cervelli and Neil Walker will be next. Jordy Mercer, Rodriguez and Gerrit Cole are next.
The Pirates and Cubs were better teams than the Dodgers and Mets this season by record, but the team played in the best division in baseball and that put them in the wild card game. The Cardinals won the division with 100 wins this season and they are waiting to see who will win this series, while the Mets and Dodgers are set to play in the other NLDS series.
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