Pregame Notes: Jackson, Cubs begin road trip vs Pirates

The Chicago Cubs are coming off a fantastic six-game home stand, which featured two walk-off wins (Nate Schierholtz, Anthony Rizzo) in a sweep of the New York Mets and a series win against the Miami Marlins.

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Tonight, the Cubs (25-35) will rely on right-handed starting pitcher Edwin Jackson (4-5, 4.59 ERA) to help get them back in the win column after having their five-game winning streak snapped during yesterday’s ballgame courtesy of the Marlins.

Jackson’s last outing came against the Mets last Wednesday despite issuing five walks during that contest. The veteran righty worked through five innings, allowing the Mets to push across four runs (one earned) off five hits (one home run) while striking out four in the 5-4 victory.

The last time Jackson pitched against the Pittsburgh Pirates (29-33), things didn’t quite go his way. Pittsburgh tagged Jackson for six earned runs off nine hits in just 4 2/3 innings, forcing Cubs skipper Rick Renteria to turn to his bullpen for the remainder of the game.

Taking the mound opposite of Jackson will be Charlie Morton (2-7, 3.31 ERA) will also look to help get his team back into the win column after dropping the final two games of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Morton’s last appearance against the Cubs was on April 8, and he was charged with five earned runs on eight hits (two home runs) over six innings of work before he was pulled from the game. His last outing on June 2 wasn’t all that bad even though he hit four opposing hitters but still managed to strikeout nine across 5.0 complete innings.

Now here’s the starting lineup for the visiting Chicago Cubs:

And for the Pittsburgh Pirates:

Tonight’s ballgame between the Cubs and Pirates will be televised on WCIU and of course aired on WGN Radio 720 with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT.