Pirates Vs. Cubs: Pirates Win 3-0 After Late Start In Series Finale

The Pirates put in a late night on Monday, but at the end of it they managed to gain some ground on the second National League wild card. Monday's series finale between the Pirates and Cubs started out with a three hour and 37-minute rain delay. The game eventually got underway at 11:42 p.m. ET, so the vast majority of the game was actually played on Tuesday.

The late start didn't seem to have too much of an effect on Kevin Correia. Correia anticipated that Cubs' hitters would be aggressive after the lengthy delay, and he used that aggressiveness to hold the Cubs to only two hits in his seven innings of work.

The Bucs offense did all the damage that Correia needed in the third. Clint Barmes led the inning with a walk, and Brock Holt got aboard with a single. Starling Marte tripled to bring home the game's first two runs, and Jose Tabata immediately doubled him home to conclude the scoring for the game.

Next up for Pittsburgh will be a three-game set with the Brewers at PNC park. The two teams sit tied in the wild card standings, and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m ET Tuesday.

Head over to Bucs Dugout for more Pirates news, and also be sure to visit Baseball Nation for even more coverage from around the league.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Delay Update: Game Will Start At 11:40 P.M. ET

Monday night's game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs will finally get underway at 11:40 p.m. ET after a more than three-hour rain delay, according to the Pittsburgh Pirates' official Twitter account.

Tonight's game between the #Pirates and #Cubs is expected to start at 10:40 CDT

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 18, 2012

Monday's game is the series finale and the Pirates have no more off days for the remainder of the regular season. They would have no way to make up this game if it was cancelled, hence the late 11:40 p.m. start time.

The Pirates will travel home Tuesday to play a night game as they start a series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Pittsburgh is currently three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot.

Head over to Bucs Dugout for more Pirates news, and also be sure to visit Baseball Nationfor even more coverage from around the league.

Pirates vs. Cubs Lineups: Kevin Correia Starts For Pittsburgh In Series Opener

The Pittsburgh Pirates are fading quickly in the National League wild card race, although there is still time to make one final run. The club entered Monday three games back in the wild card standings, although there are three teams ahead of them. This week, the club begins a crucial three-game series with the Cubs, who feature the second-worst record in baseball.

The lineups for Monday's game have been released. Here they are:

Pirates:

Starling Marte - LF
Jose Tabata - RF
Andrew McCutchen - CF
Gaby Sanchez - 1B
Pedro Alvarez - 3B
Michael McKenry - C
Clint Barmes - SS
Brock Holt - 2B
Kevin Correia - P

Cubs:

David DeJesus - RF
Luis Valbuena - 3B
Anthony Rizzo - 1B
Alfonso Soriano - LF
Starlin Castro - SS
Welington Castillo - C
Brett Jackson - CF
Darwin Barney - 2B
Travis Wood - P

First pitch at Wrigley Field is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.

For more on the Pirates, be sure to check out Bucs Dugout.

Pirates Rotation: Kyle McPherson Replaces James McDonald

In an attempt to keep the Pittsburgh Pirates' playoff hopes alive, manager Clint Hurdle announced that James McDonald has been removed from the starting rotation and replaced by rookie Kyle McPherson. McPherson will take McDonald's next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

McDonald was one of the best starters in the National League for the first half of the season. The right-hander was 9-3 with a 2.37 ERA in the first half of 2012. But since the All-Star break, McDonald's ERA has shot up to 7.08 and he has won just three games. McDonald has already given up more home runs and issued more walks thank he did in the entire first half.

McPherson enters the starting rotation after pitching 11 2/3 innings out of the Pirates bullpen this season. The rookie, who was named the organization's minor league pitcher of the year in 2011, has appeared in seven games in 2012 with a 1.54 ERA. McPherson will make his first major league start on Wednesday

After a hot start to the season, the Pirates are currently 73-72 and three games out of a wild card spot in the National League.

Head over to Bucs Dugout for more Pirates news, and also be sure to visit Baseball Nation for even more coverage from around the league.

Pirates Vs. Cubs: Game Info, TV Time And More

The Pirates and Cubs will play Monday night in Chicago with Pittsburgh hoping to salvage a four-game split from the series. The Pirates currently sit three games back in the race for the national league's second wild card after losing to the Cubs on Sunday.

The Pirates will send Kevin Correia to the mound as they look to close some ground on a possible playoff spot. Correia is 10-9 on the season, and has a 4.29 ERA for the year. Correia struggled early in his last start before settling down to throw six innings against the Reds.

Correia will be facing left-hander Travis Wood on Monday. Wood currently has a 6-11 record and a 4.23 ERA.

The first pitch from Wrigley Field will be thrown at 8:05 p.m. ET, and the game can be seen locally on ROOT sports, while out-of-market viewers can watch the game on MLB.TV.

Head over to Bucs Dugout for more Pirates news, and check out Bleed Cubbie Blue for more on the Cubs. Also be sure to visit Baseball Nation for even more coverage from around the league.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Final Score: Pittsburgh Loses 3rd Game Of Series, 13-9

Despite racking up 14 hits, Clint Hurdle's Pittsburgh Pirates still couldn't pull out a victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday in a 13-9 loss at Wrigley Field.

Pittsburgh slugger Pedro Alvarez helped his team expand its lead to 5-1 in the fifth inning with a two-run homer to left field, and then kept things rolling with a three-run bomb in the very next inning. Although Pittsburgh's pitching staff would soon prove incapable of holding onto the lead, Alvarez improved his power numbers to 29 home runs and 80 RBI with the big afternoon.

Pirates starter Jeff Locke was absolved a loss after his offense perked up, but left the game after 4 1/3 innings after serving up five earned runs on seven hits. The 24-year-old Locke also gave up a pair of home runs for the second consecutive start, and will need to do a much better job of disguising his pitches next time out.

Hoping to salvage a split over the four-game series, the Pirates will send righty Kevin Correia to the mound for Monday's finale against Chicago's Travis Wood.

Head over to Bucs Dugout for more Pirates news, and check out Bleed Cubbie Blue for more on the Cubs. Also be sure to visit Baseball Nation for even more coverage from around the league.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Preview: Pittsburgh Turns To Jeff Locke To Help Build Momentum

Less than 24 hours after snapping a seven-game losing streak, the Pittsburgh Pirates will try to build some momentum Sunday when they face the Chicago Cubs in the third game of a four-game series at Wrigley Field (2:20 p.m. ET on Root Sports). Entering the contest, the Pirates (73-71) will be two games out of the second NL Wild Card spot held by the Los Angeles Dodgers (76-70) and St. Louis Cardinals (76-70).

To try and keep its postseason hopes alive, Pittsburgh will send Jeff Locke (0-1, 4.11 ERA) to the mound to oppose Chicago's Chris Volstad (3-10, 5.99 ERA). Locke will be making his seventh Major League start and is looking for his first victory. Last Sunday, the youngster tossed six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits against the Cubs, winners of six of their last eight.

Meanwhile, Volstad is slowly bouncing back from a rough start to the season. Over his last eight starts, Volstad has ERA of 4.08.

For more on the Pirates, please be sure to check out Bucs Dugout and SB Nation Pittsburgh for all the latest news and updates.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Final Score: Pittsburgh Snaps Losing Streak; Wins 7-6

The Pittsburgh Pirates were finally able to snap their losing streak at seven games, beating the Chicago Cubs 7-6 at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Bucs got off to a hot start by scoring a run in each of the first three innings and plating a trio in the fourth.

Wandy Rodriguez pitched very well to lead Pittsburgh into the win column. The hurler got through six innings, allowing just one run while scattering nine hits and striking out four.

The Pirates got solid efforts out of a bevy of players including Andrew McCutchen who hit his 28th home run of the year in the third. Clint Barmes also went deep in the seventh, giving Pittsburgh a 7-3 advantage.

Garrett Jones contributed a pair of RBI while leadoff hitter Starling Marte collected two knocks as well.

Joel Hanrahan made it interesting in the ninth by giving up two runs, but held on to rack up another save.

Jason Berken couldn't do much against the Pirates, surrendering six runs (just two earned) on eight hits and a walk in his first start of 2012.

For more on the Pirates, please be sure to check out Bucs Dugout and SB Nation Pittsburgh for all the latest news and updates.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Game Preview: Bucs Look To Snap Skid

After falling in the first game of a four game series, the Pittsburgh Pirates will send southpaw Wandy Rodriguez to the mound tomorrow in hopes he can help the team land a much needed victory to remain in the playoffs hunt. The 33-year-old lefty has tossed four straight quality starts for the Pirates.

Opposing Rodriguez will be Jason Berken of the Chicago Cubs, who will be making his first start since 2009. Berken is taking the rotation spot of 27-year-old right-handed starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija, who is being shut down for the remainder of the season.

The Pirates are currently on a seven game losing streak and are running out of time to make up ground for one of the final playoffs spots. They are in competition with several other teams as well, and tomorrow's game could potentially be the biggest of the Pirates season.

Game Time: 1:05 p.m ET
Television Coverage: ROOT SPORTS
Radio: KDKA-FM 93.7

For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout and SB Nation Pittsburgh. For your need of all things Cubs, give a visit to Bleed Cubbie Blue.

Pirates Vs. Cubs Final Score: Bucs Continue Slide, Fall 7-4 To Chicago

The Pittsburgh Pirates were unable to get back on track Friday, losing the first game of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs by the score of 7-4.

The tale of two halves continued for Pirates starting pitcher James McDonald, who allowed four earned runs on five hits while walking four and striking out two batters in just 3-2/3 innings. After managing to post a phenomenal 2.73 ERA in the first half of the season, McDonald's second-half struggles have continued.

Meanwhile, the Pirates were held hitless by Cubs starting pitcher Chris Rusin until the fifth inning, when Gaby Sanchez doubled on a liner to left field. Pittsburgh's bats managed to score one run in the inning and continued to show signs of life from there on out. However, it wasn't enough to pull off a come-from-behind victory.

Losers of seven straight games, the Pirates now find themselves trailing the St. Louis Cardinals, who currently occupy the second Wild Card spot, by 3.5 games.

For more on the Pittsburgh Pirates, visit Bucs Dugout and SB Nation Pittsburgh.

N.L. Wild Card Standings: Pirates 3 Games Back Despite Losing Streak

The Pittsburgh Pirates' recent six-game skid has been far from optimal, but they still find themselves in contention for an NL Wild Card spot as they head to Wrigley Field for four games.

It's a similar scenario to the one the Pirates found themselves in last weekend: heading into a matchup with a fifth-place Cubs team, hoping a weak opponent will allow them to creep closer to a playoff spot. That wasn't the case as the Cubs got a three-game sweep, and Pittsburgh did themselves no favors by being swept again by the Cincinnati Reds. But a look at the standings shows them just three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who sit in the second and final Wild Card berth.

The good news for the Pirates is that every game they win will have an immediate positive impact in the race: either they'll gain a game on the Cardinals or the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are two games back, as the two are playing each other. Pittsburgh's cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, had played their way back into contention with a seven-game win streak, but a loss last night to the last-place Houston Astros dropped them to four games back.

Here's a full look at the standings:

Pirates Vs. Cubs Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers

The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to snap a six-game losing streak and get revenge on the Chicago Cubs for sweeping them last week with chances of a Wild Card berth still alive.