The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs will face off in a one-game Wild Card playoff tonight. What is a reasonable final score prediction for the game?
Jake Arrieta is taking the mound for the Cubs and he is one of the top pitchers in all of baseball this season. There is a good chance that he will win the NL Cy Young award with the way that he played down the stretch of the season, but he can make a huge statement with a shut down game against the Pirates' lineup. Chicago is relying on him to keep the Pirates in check and he is very confident in his ability to do just that.
Gerrit Cole is pitching for the Pirates tonight and is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball. He is going up against a stacked lineup for the Cubs and has a tough task ahead, but he is more than capable of giving his team a chance to win and keeping the Cubs off the scoreboard.
Either team could take this game and it is a battle between two of the top teams in all of baseball. It is a shame that one of these two teams will be packing up and heading home for the offseason after just one postseason game. There is no doubt that they should be given a spot over other teams that didn't finish with as good of a record, but because the St. Louis Cardinals won the NL Central they don't get that.
Chicago's lineup definitely has more pop than the Pirates, but with these two pitchers on the mound anything can happen.
If the Cubs want to advance to face off against the Cardinals, they are going to need Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber to show off their bats in particular. Taking advantage of any small mistake that the Pirates make is a necessity. The sheer power that those three possess has a chance to make a huge difference for the Cubs and propel them to the next round of the postseason.
Pittsburgh is starting a much more defensive oriented group of players, although Andrew McCutchen is obviously the key offensively. He has given Arrieta fits in the past and can change the game with just one swing of the bat.
There is no question that this should be a close game, but it will all depend on how their respective aces play.
Expect to see this game come down to the final couple of innings, but the Cubs' offense simply should out-power the Pirates. Pittsburgh has a good chance to come away with a huge home victory, but it's hard to go against the lineup that the Cubs are putting out and combining that with Arrieta makes them the choice tonight.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs Final Score Prediction: Cubs 4, Pirates 2
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