Pirates' Oneil Cruz Makes First CF Start vs. Cubs
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon after playing a non-competitve brand of baseball over the first two contests of the series.
Paul Skenes will toe the rubber and attempt to stop the bleeding for the Pirates in his third-ever start against the Cubs. The 22-year-old rookie ace owns a 2.70 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 10 innings in his prior pair of encounters with Chicago, which included his MLB debut on May 11.
The Cubs will send out 11-year veteran Kyle Hendricks, who owns a 9-14 record and 3.81 ERA over 31 career appearances facing the Pirates. A former Cy Young Award finalist, Hendricks has entered the twilight of his career at 34-years-old, evidenced by his 6.33 ERA over 23 games and 18 starts this season.
Below, you'll find today's starting lineups written by managers Derek Shelton and Craig Counsell.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
- SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa
- DH Bryan Reynolds
- CF Oneil Cruz
- 1B Rowdy Tellez
- RF Connor Joe
- LF Billy McKinney
- C Yasmani Grandal
- 3B Jared Triolo
- 2B Alika Williams
P Paul Skenes (8-2, 2.16 ERA)
Player to Watch - CF Oneil Cruz
Cruz is set to make just his second-career appearance in the outfield and his first in center field after the Pirates announced he would be transitioning away from shortstop, a position he committed 24 errors at this year while posting -8 Defensive Runs Saved and -3 Outs Above Average.
His athleticism and rare arm talent should play well in center, though it may take some time for him to settle in and fully adapt to his new defensive home.
Offensively, Cruz is riding an eight-game hit streak and is coming off of a four-hit performance against the Cubs on Tuesday night. His slash line now sits at .271/.328/.473 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs through 119 games.
CHICAGO CUBS
- LF Ian Happ
- 1B Michael Busch
- DH Seiya Suzuki
- RF Cody Bellinger
- 3B Isaac Paredes
- 2B Nico Hoerner
- SS Dansby Swanson
- CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
- C Christian Bethancourt
P Kyle Hendricks (3-10, 6.33 ERA)
First pitch between the Pirates and Cubs is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. EST.
- Pirates Preview: Paul Skenes Looking to Avoid Sweep
- Pirates' Oneil Cruz 'Disappointed' With Position Change
- Watch: Pirates' Oneil Cruz Begins Working at CF
- Pirates Move Oneil Cruz to a New Position
- Pirates Make Pair of Moves at Catcher
JACK MARKOWSKI