Chicago Cubs: Arrieta takes the hill; Montero returns vs Pirates

The Chicago Cubs’ Jake Arrieta looks to continue his dominance against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday afternoon. Miguel Montero will also make his return from the DL as Ryan Kalish was designated for assignment.

To find not just a pitcher but a team that has dominated another team like Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs have done to the Pirates would be a tedious task. So we won’t even look any further. The Pirates (18-16) were the most recent darlings of the NC Central after years of failing to finish .500. But now the Cubs (26-8) have essentially bypassed that role into an offensive juggernaut. The Cubs aren’t a darling–they’re a target.

Arrieta (6-0, 1.13) looks to keep his perfect record intact after he survived a less than Arrieta-like start in his last effort against the Washington Nationals. He surrendered three runs (two earned) in five innings. Not horrendous, but when you set the bar as high as Arrieta has it seems that way. The Cubs have won his last 20 starts, even with that little hiccup.

Andrew McCutchen has an impressive line against the 2015 Cy Young with a .345 (10-for-29)average in 34 plate appearances. Cutch will need to improve on those numbers if the Pirates are to beat a Cubs team that has beat them 14 of the last 22 meetings going back to last season.

Jeff Locke (1-2, 4.68) takes the mound for the Bucs as he tries to improve on his 1-2 record with a 5.83 ERA against the Cubs in his career. Anthony Rizzo has had good success against Locke with three home runs and five RBIs (20 AB) in his career.

Here are the lineups for today’s matchup:

First pitch is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CT at beautiful Wrigley Field. ABC 7 will have the television coverage while Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer will have the radio broadcast on 670 The Score. Make sure to check back after the game for postgame coverage!