Chicago Cubs (85-64, second in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (65-85, fifth in the NL Central)

Pittsburgh; Monday, 6:40 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Jameson Taillon (9-6, 4.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 83 strikeouts); Pirates: Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.47 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 56 strikeouts)

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates look to stop their three-game home skid with a victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Pittsburgh is 65-85 overall and 42-33 at home. The Pirates are 43-26 in games when they record eight or more hits.

Chicago has an 85-64 record overall and a 39-35 record in road games. The Cubs rank eighth in MLB play with 200 total home runs, averaging 1.3 per game.

Monday’s game is the 11th meeting between these teams this season. The Cubs have a 7-3 advantage in the season series.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds has 35 doubles, three triples and 15 home runs while hitting .242 for the Pirates. Spencer Horwitz is 8 for 27 with two doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.

Nico Hoerner leads the Cubs with a .299 batting average, and has 29 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 36 walks and 59 RBIs. Ian Happ is 11 for 37 with three home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 2-8, .191 batting average, 3.78 ERA, outscored by 13 runs

Cubs: 5-5, .236 batting average, 3.74 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs

INJURIES: Pirates: Ronny Simon: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Jack Suwinski: 10-Day IL (groin), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Cubs: Owen Caissie: 7-Day IL (concussion), Kyle Tucker: 10-Day IL (calf), Daniel Palencia: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Mike Soroka: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Brasier: 15-Day IL (groin), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (ankle), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.