The Pittsburgh Pirates will try to keep pace in the National League's Wild Card hunt, as they host one of the worst teams in baseball on Saturday evening.
The Chicago Cubs spanked the Bucs, 12-2, at PNC Park, but Pittsburgh's seven errors made the loss seem even uglier. On Saturday, Clint Hurdle's team will look to turn the page.
James McDonald will aim for his 13th win of the season, as he hopes to rebound from a disastrous start, in which he gave up eight runs (seven earned) in two and two thirds innings of work on Sept. 2 against Milwaukee. For the season, McDonald carries a 3.90 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and has held batters to a .225 batting average against.
Pittsburgh will face off against Jeff Samardzija, who is 8-13 for the Cubs. Samardzija has struck out 171 in about 166 innings of work, and has a 3.91 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. Televised coverage can be found on ROOT Sports.
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