The Chicago Cubs bats finally woke up last night, resulting in a 7-6 win at Wrigley over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tonight they will go for a series split with the Bucs before hosting the St. Louis Cardinals for the final three games of the season. The Cubs hold a half game lead on the Milwaukee Brewers, who are idle today, so this is a chance for them to gain some ground. The pitchers opposing each other today will be the lefty Jon Lester for Chicago and Trevor Williams for Pittsburgh. Both have been hurling all season with similar numbers. Williams is 14-9, with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Lester is 17-6, with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. When Williams takes the hill against the Cubs, the Pirates are 1-4 in his last 5 starts and they have had issues on the road against lefties, going 8-22 in their last 30. On the flip side, the Cubs are 38-14 in Lester’s last 52 home starts and 5-1 in his last 6 turns against the Pirates. The Cubs’ fans will be in rare form tonight and with Lester on the hill, the home team is the play here.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CHICAGO CUBS