With all five of their wins — including a 7-5 result on Sunday to complete a four-game sweep — coming against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates could be in a good frame of mind to go on the road and beat someone else.
“I like the way our team is playing. I like the way we’re just trying to stay in control of the situations we can manage,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said, calling it an “all-hands-on-deck” approach.
The Cubs, meanwhile, lost for the seventh time in eight games, 4-2, on Sunday at Milwaukee and will finally get to play at Wrigley Field on Monday.
This will be the Pirates’ third “opening” game. They fell 5-3 at Cincinnati in both teams’ season opener, and lost to St. Louis 6-5 in their own home opener.
It could be a high-level pitching matchup for the Cubs’ home opener, with Pittsburgh right-hander Jameson Taillon (0-1, 3.46 ERA) facing Chicago left-hander Jon Lester (1-0, 3.00 ERA).
Both will be making their third start of the season.
Lester got the win in on Opening Day, a 12-4 victory at Texas, and a no-decision in Chicago’s 6-4 loss Wednesday at Atlanta. He gave up two runs in six innings in both games.
Following Wednesday’s game, blown by the bullpen after he left with a lead, Lester expressed frustration with the Cubs’ early results.
“We all want to get off to a good start,” Lester said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “What we’re doing a little bit right now is maybe trying to press and do too much. Everybody is trying to come in and, whether it be a hitting situation or a pitching situation, and be the guy.
“That’s hard to do over 162 games. I think we put such an emphasis on getting off to a good start that it’s kind of hanging over our heads right now. We need to get back to being us, and what we do well is attack hitters and throw strikes and make them hit the ball to our really good defense.”
Lester is 9-6 with a 3.18 ERA in 18 career starts against Pittsburgh, with 11 quality starts, and has not allowed a run in three of his past four starts against the Pirates.
Taillon gave up four runs and five hits in six innings in the season opener at Cincinnati, but rebounded Wednesday, allowing one run hits in seven innings against the Cardinals — yet suffered the same fate at Lester’s second start, getting a no-decision.
At 85 pitches and cruising with three hits and five strikeouts, Taillon’s dismissal from the St. Louis game was publicly questioned, but not by Taillon.
“I didn’t fight back at all on that,” he said. “I haven’t completed seven (to that point), so I’m cool with it. More nights than not, those guys at the back end are taking care of us.”
Taillon is 4-3 with a 3.88 ERA in eight career starts against the Cubs. Last year he was 2-0 in three starts, including a 5-4 win against Lester July 31 when he allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings.