Following a disappointing series loss to the New York Yankees that concluded with another bullpen meltdown, the Pittsburgh Pirates return home to begin a stretch of games that could define their aggressiveness at the trade deadline.
The Pirates are 53-50 and entered Thursday just a half-game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final wild card in the National League.
Arizona comes to PNC Park on Monday, but first a three-game weekend series against the Cubs sets the table for Yinzerpalooza Weekend.
Pittsburgh is 4.5 back of Chicago, which holds the top wild card in the NL, but
The Bucs took two of three from the Cubs at Wrigley Field in mid-April, nearly sweeping the series before the bullpen gave the lead up (a sign of what was to come), and split a four-game set in mid-May.
The teams haven’t played each other in two months and have both been defined by their offense during that stretch.
A year after finishing bottom five in nearly every offensive category, the Pirates are first in hits per game (9.1), tied for first in batting average (.261), second in on-base percentage (.339), second in runs scored (5.3), third in slugging (.424), and third in OPS (.763).
Shockingly, the Pirates have hit more home runs (132) than the Cubs (128) after totaling only 117 last season, dead last in baseball.
The Pirates have won 27 games at PNC Park in 2026 (27-24), while the Cubs have the same win total away from Wrigley Field (27-23).
The Bucs are 17-12 against the NL Central in 2026 after only winning 19 games against the four teams last season (19-33).
On paper, the Pirates have the upper hand with the starting pitching matchups, including two All-Stars.
Jared Jones will oppose Matthew Boyd on Friday night. Paul Skenes takes the hill on Saturday against Shota Imanaga, a lefty who has notoriously dominated the Pirates. Braxton Ashcraft will go to the mound in the finale against former Pirate Jameson Taillon.
The Pirates have been bad against left-handed starting pitchers and are tied for the third-fewest wins against southpaws.
Don Kelly’s lefty-heavy lineup is 9-20 against left-handed starters, tied with the Marlins (9-16) and just better than the Royals (8-21) and Mets (7-20) for the poorest performances in all of baseball.
It’s something the Pirates must improve upon moving forward if they’re going to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
The bullpen remains a mess and hasn’t been positively addressed all year, longing for the trading deadline on August 3 to fix all the problems.
A losing streak could change the Pirates’ level of aggressiveness a week and a half from now, benefiting the rest of the division.
Pittsburgh is battling Arizona, Miami, Washington, and St. Louis for the final wild card, but does have a chance to chase down Chicago for a bigger prize.
The Pirates’ top three starters are pitching, and it’s pivotal that the Bucs win the series to gain ground on the Cubs and continue their success in the NL Central.
