Chicago Cubs: Previewing the home opener series with Rum Bunter

Chicago Cubs: Tough rotation leads Pittsburgh into battle at Wrigley

Q: What are your expectations for the Pirates this year? Do you think they have enough to contend in a loaded NL Central?

A: Quietly, Neal Huntington has assembled a great pitching staff. The Pirates rotation, in my opinion, is the best in the NL Central and among the five best in the NL. They also have a top 5 bullpen in the NL when healthy (key setup man Kyle Crick is currently on the IL). 

When you can pitch, you can win. Due to this, I expect the Pirates to finish over .500 and compete for a postseason berth. I do not believe the Pirates will make the postseason, but I expect them to be in contention into September. 

The guy who takes the ball opposite Jon Lester on Monday, Jameson Taillon, heads the rotation. But Pittsburgh has done little to capitalize on their talented young right-hander so far. He tied for the league lead with a pair of complete games last season, making 32 starts for the Bucs. Will the front office finally build enough around him to get back to the postseason?

Q: Will the front office wind up wasting their prime years of control over Jameson Taillon?

A: Hopefully not, but if the front office doesn’t give Huntington a bigger budget it’s possible. You do not have to be among the league leaders in payroll to be a postseason team. The Pirates, A’s, and Rays have all proved this multiple times in the past decade. But a $75M payroll just is not going to cut it. 

Chicago Cubs: Pirates’ offense hasn’t been up to the challenge so far

Really, this series will be a tale of antitheses. Chicago boasts a potent offense, but the pitching has failed to live up to even the lowest of expectations. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, brings in one of the league’s best staffs but has an offense that ranks near the bottom of the league in most statistics.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

The Pirates enter the series ranked ninth in the NL in terms of OPS and eighth in average. Still, they’ve averaged just over four runs per game so far this season, scoring 34 times in eight games.

Q: The offense hasn’t been great so far – is that going to be the story of this team?

A: The Pirate offense has struggled with RISP this season. However, that, for now at least, should be no surprise. 3 of the team’s top 4 outfielders are all on the IL, as is Elias Diaz who is their best bench bat. 

Help is coming, though. Diaz and Gregory Polanco both began a rehab stint over the weekend and will give the offense a big boost soon. Getting Corey Dickerson back will help, too.  

The offense, and in turn the season, could hinge on Josh Bell and Jung Ho Kang. Both players have the potential to hit 20+ home runs, something no one else in the lineup outside of Polanco and Starling Marte brings to the table. Bell is off to a scorching start this season and Kang is hitting for power. 

Chicago (2-7) needs to find some degree of level play this week at home. They’ll battle Pittsburgh throughout the week before welcoming Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend. All eyes will be on the pitching staff and a struggling Kris Bryant, with hopes some home cooking gets things turned around.