Pittsburgh Pirates brace for three-game series against the Chicago Cubs – MLB News
The Pittsburgh Pirates will have the opening of three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, September 7. The Pirates’ A. J. Burnett will start for the team, whose last outing against the Cubs saw him win after just over seven strong innings.
While the Wild Card race is on, there are amazing opportunities for the Pirates players to exhibit their talent and class. Burnett, for example, has 15 wins this season. He has all the chance to win 20 games this season.
However, that is not he keeps in mind while pitching. He is rather focused on bringing glory to the club, winning as many games as possible.
"It doesn't matter if I win 20, 19, 18 or whatever," Burnett said. "I'm just trying to win ballgames for this club, that's all I try to do every time. A win for me just means the team is one game closer to our goal."
Similar is the view of the Kevin Correia, who pitched six strong innings on Wednesday to win a 6-3 game against the Houston Astros.
"It's just a number but you do want to win as many games as possible because that's your job as a pitcher," Correia said. "The biggest thing you want to do, though, is give your team a chance to win."
Above all, the Pirates will have a chance here to strengthen their position in the National League Central. Currently standing third, with 72 wins, they are two games behind the St. Louis Cardinals which stand second with 74 wins.
They will have a chance to stay solid and get past the Cubs in the series, improving their chances for the Wild Card.
Cubs, on the other hand, stand fifth with 51 wins. They can undeniably play a spoiler role, minimising the chances of the Pirates with a good performance. However, all that will depend on how the Cubs perform in the series given the fact that Pirates will have the advantage of home ground, while Cubs have struggled a great deal lately.
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