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WED · SEP 9, 2026
SEP 9
FinalFinal lineupsNL Central

Chicago Cubs   vs   Pittsburgh Pirates Preview

July 26, 2026

Starting pitchers, lineup status, recent form, weather and current moneyline context at PNC Park.

1:35 PM ET · PNC ParkStats updated Jul 26, 2:45 PM ETFinal lineups lockedLast update Jul 26, 1:10 PM ET
T-Score66
Chicago Cubs
81–65 · 2nd NL Central · T-Score 66
7
7–8
FINAL
Pittsburgh Pirates
72–73 · 3rd NL Central · T-Score 61
8
T-Score61
FINALCHC +123 · PIT −134 · Total 9
CHC +123 · PIT −134 · Total 9Last update Jul 26, 1:10 PM ET

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation
CategoryComparisonWhy
Starting pitcherPiratesPittsburgh has the stronger starting-pitcher profile: Ashcraft leads in P-Score, WHIP and K/9.
Offense vs handEvenBoth offenses perform near the same level against the opposing starter's handedness.
BullpenEvenThe two bullpens have produced similar season ERA and WHIP.
Recent formCubsChicago has been the better recent team, at 7–3 over the last 10.
Plate disciplineCubsChicago has drawn 455 walks this season, 69 more than Pittsburgh.

Starting pitchers

CHC
Jameson Taillon RHP
Jameson Taillon
Chicago Cubs
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
5.65
195th
WHIP
1.36
136th
K/9
7.95
123rd
BB/9
3.35
133rd
P-Score34i
FIP
6.59
HR/9
2.83
225th
OPS/R
0.814
IP
86.0
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA4.22
Road ERA7.06
Last 5 starts
ERA
6.33
QUALITY
START %
20%
(1 of 5)
DAYS
REST
6
PIT
Braxton Ashcraft RHP
Braxton Ashcraft
Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.65
73rd
WHIP
1.09
31st
K/9
9.42
49th
BB/9
1.91
11th
P-Score74i
FIP
3.49
HR/9
1.20
119th
OPS/R
0.580
IP
165.1
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA3.71
Road ERA3.59
Last 5 starts
ERA
6.66
QUALITY
START %
20%
(1 of 5)
DAYS
REST
6
How the starters differ
·Ashcraft owns the lower FIP, 3.49 to 6.59.
·Ashcraft allows fewer baserunners, with a 1.09 WHIP compared with 1.36.
·Ashcraft allows the lower home-run rate: 1.20 vs 2.83 per nine.
·Ashcraft strikes out 1.5 more batters per nine innings.
Advanced starter metricsERA−, FIP, WAR, career vs opponent
MetricTaillonAshcraftNote
ERA−13885Park- and league-adjusted; 100 is average.
FIP6.593.49
WAR-1.13.5Season value.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Taillon arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam27%91.8
Cutter19%86.3
Sweeper16%80.2
Changeup16%84.5
Curveball11%79.1
Sinker10%91.9
Slider1%82.8
Ashcraft arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam31%97.3
Curveball26%85.0
Slider22%91.8
Sinker17%97.1
Splitter4%91.8

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Cubs vs RHP (Braxton Ashcraft)
4th
in MLB
0.755OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Pirates vs RHP (Jameson Taillon)
2nd
in MLB
0.757OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page →
Chicago CubsOfficial lineupvs RHP Braxton Ashcraft
#HitterPosH-ScoreOPSHRvs RHPVs Ashcraft (BvP)
1Pete Crow-ArmstrongLCF89.94941.954No MLB historyNo history
2Seiya SuzukiRRF79.84424.797No MLB historyNo history
3Michael BuschL1B70.73518.734No MLB historyNo history
4Ian HappSLF70.74023.817No MLB historyNo history
5Nico HoernerR2B53.6788.673No MLB historyNo history
6Michael ConfortoLDH74.82714.796No MLB historyNo history
7Carson KellyRC62.72510.634No MLB historyNo history
8Pedro RamírezS2B59.7425.688No MLB historyNo history
9Dansby SwansonRSS63.70418.678No MLB historyNo history
1Pete Crow-Armstrong CF · L.281 / .949 · 41 HRvs hand .954 · No MLB history · No history89H-Score2Seiya Suzuki RF · R.268 / .844 · 24 HRvs hand .797 · No MLB history · No history79H-Score3Michael Busch 1B · L.236 / .735 · 18 HRvs hand .734 · No MLB history · No history70H-Score4Ian Happ LF · S.220 / .740 · 23 HRvs hand .817 · No MLB history · No history70H-Score5Nico Hoerner 2B · R.266 / .678 · 8 HRvs hand .673 · No MLB history · No history53H-Score6Michael Conforto DH · L.241 / .827 · 14 HRvs hand .796 · No MLB history · No history74H-Score7Carson Kelly C · R.259 / .725 · 10 HRvs hand .634 · No MLB history · No history62H-Score8Pedro Ramírez 2B · S.266 / .742 · 5 HRvs hand .688 · No MLB history · No history59H-Score9Dansby Swanson SS · R.216 / .704 · 18 HRvs hand .678 · No MLB history · No history63H-Score
Pittsburgh PiratesOfficial lineupvs RHP Jameson Taillon
#HitterPosH-ScoreOPSHRvs RHPVs Taillon (BvP)
1Jake MangumSCF46.7164.733No MLB historyNo history
2Brandon LoweL2B77.80529.896No MLB historyNo history
3Bryan ReynoldsSLF80.80516.794No MLB historyNo history
4Esmerlyn ValdezRRF76.84916.738No MLB historyNo history
5Ryan O'HearnLRF65.78817.859No MLB historyNo history
6Nick GonzalesR3B58.7626.814No MLB historyNo history
7Jacob GonzalezLSS45.6306.691No MLB historyNo history
8Shawn RossRC—1.00011.000No MLB historyNo history
9Tyler CallihanLLF35.6723.613No MLB historyNo history
1Jake Mangum CF · S.286 / .716 · 4 HRvs hand .733 · No MLB history · No history46H-Score2Brandon Lowe 2B · L.258 / .805 · 29 HRvs hand .896 · No MLB history · No history77H-Score3Bryan Reynolds LF · S.268 / .805 · 16 HRvs hand .794 · No MLB history · No history80H-Score4Esmerlyn Valdez RF · R.233 / .849 · 16 HRvs hand .738 · No MLB history · No history76H-Score5Ryan O'Hearn RF · L.270 / .788 · 17 HRvs hand .859 · No MLB history · No history65H-Score6Nick Gonzales 3B · R.306 / .762 · 6 HRvs hand .814 · No MLB history · No history58H-Score7Jacob Gonzalez SS · L.221 / .630 · 6 HRvs hand .691 · No MLB history · No history45H-Score8Shawn Ross C · R.200 / 1.000 · 1 HRvs hand 1.000 · No MLB history · No history—H-Score9Tyler Callihan LF · L.211 / .672 · 3 HRvs hand .613 · No MLB history · No history35H-Score

Team comparison

OffenseCHCCHC·PITPIT
AVG.251 6th.253 5th
OPS.769 1st.734 7th
Home runs203 1st166 15th
Runs774 1st703 5th
OBP.339 2nd.331 4th
SLG.430 1st.403 14th
PitchingCHCCHC·PITPIT
1stMLB rank30th
ERA4.20vs4.17
CHCPIT
WHIP1.27vs1.30
CHCPIT
K/97.8vs9.3
CHCPIT
HR Allowed218vs140
CHCPIT
BullpenCHCCHC·PITPIT
1stMLB rank30th
Bullpen ERA4.42vs4.27
no league rank
Saves32vs31
CHCPIT
ResultsCHCCHC·PITPIT
+2983rd
Run differential
+20712th
81–65 Record72–73
7–3 Last 105–5
Last 10 games
Chicago Cubs (7–3)
W
W
L
W
L
W
W
L
W
W
Pittsburgh Pirates (5–5)
L
L
W
L
L
W
W
L
W
W
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
10—3
13 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Cubs?+
Jameson Taillon (5.38 ERA, 2–5) is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Pirates?+
Braxton Ashcraft (3.95 ERA, 9–4) is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
1:35 PM ET at PNC Park.
Where is the game being played?+
PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not as official league cards. The orders shown are the current projected or last-posted lineups.
What is the current moneyline?+
CHC +123 · PIT −134 · Total 9. Lines are informational only.
What is the current total?+
The total is 9, opened at 8.5. Lines are informational.
How have the Cubs and Pirates performed head-to-head?+
Season series: Pirates 3–10 this season.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Jameson Taillon is at 34; Braxton Ashcraft is at 74. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.