Cubs vs. Pirates Preview

     PNC Park is going to going crazy this Wednesday night. The second and third best teams in the entire MLB will be playing each other as the Chicago Cubs take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in what should be an exciting one game wild card matchup. Both teams will have their aces on the mound and their winning lineups on the field. Let's take a look at the pitching matchup.

     The Pirates will start their main man, Gerrit Cole. Cole posted very good numbers during the regular season, reaching nearly 20 wins on the year. Cole does his work almost exclusively with his laser four seam fastball and his killer slider. While the Pirates are not necessarily known for their defense compared to their hitting, Cole has been a very reliable option to go to this year. If he can get some offensive help, the pirates might be in good shape.

     On the other side of the ball, the Cubs will have the Cy Young candidate, Jake Arrieta, on the mound. Arrieta relies heavily on his Sinking fastball, slider, and curveball. Arrieta posted a career best year with 22 wins and an amazing 1.77 ERA. Arrieta also had a night to remember in Las Angeles. In this game Arrieta struck out 12 batters on his way to a no hitter. It was Arrieta's first no-no and it was also the first no hitter since Carlos Zambrano's no hitter in 2008. Arrieta, almost single handedly, could carry this team to the National League Divisional Series.

     Both teams have had incredible seasons hitting the ball. In fact the Cubs have had the most homeruns in the entire MLB since the All-Star break. Behind the oh so powerful long ball from Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs put up large scoring numbers since All-Star weekend. However, the Pirates have had their own success from the plate. Big hitters like Andrew McCutchen and Gregor Blanco provided firepower to the Pirates offensive efforts. It is clear that both teams have good pitching and powerful hitting, or else they wouldn't even be here. I think that the deciding factor will be which pitcher can last longer in the game. Neither team really has stellar bullpens so I expect each offense to take advantage of their oppositions bullpen. I would not put it past either team to keep their starter in for at least 7 innings, if not 8 or 9.

     Being a Cub's fan, I have to agree with Vegas odd makers with their opinion that the Cubs will come out victorious. Don 't get me wrong, I hope, I expect, this to be a fun game to watch.  However, I have to go with Cubs Nation in this one.