Cubs @ Pirates

Who will WIN this matchup?

Chicago Cubs (65-58)

@ Pittsburgh Pirates (51-71)

Starting Pitchers:

Quintana (CHC): 10-7; 4.71 ERA

Keller (PIT) 1-1; 7.94 ERA

Last 10 Games Played:

Chicago Cubs: 4-6

Pittsburgh Pirates: 3-7

Current odds:

Chicago Cubs: (-158)

Pittsburgh Pirates: (+148)

• Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams and his teammates had a memorable experience when they visited Williamsport, Pa., for the inaugural MLB Little League Classic in 2017. Williams gets his wish of returning as the Pirates meet the Chicago Cubs on Sunday at Bowman Field, a minor league ballpark across the Susquehanna River with a capcity of 2,366 and less than eight miles from Lamade Stadium – site of the Little League World Series. “I just remember everyone was really happy,” Williams, who watched a LLWS game with teammate Jameson Taillon while sitting in a lawn chair on the outfield berm, told reporters. “The kids were really happy. The fans were really happy. The parents. Everyone was just really happy to be there. It was a really fun day. It was something that, at the end of the day, I was looking forward to doing again.” Chicago on Sunday has an opportunity to win a road series for the first time in 15 tries (0-12-2) after Saturday’s 2-0 victory snapped a four-game losing streak.

• The Cubs were a half-game behind first-place St. Louis in the National League Central but a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for the final wild card spot prior to the Cardinals’ and Phillies’ contests Saturday night. Chicago’s Jose Quintana on Sunday tries for his fourth victory in as many starts against Pittsburgh this season and opposes rookie Mitch Keller, who recorded his first win in his last outing.

• Quintana received a no-decision after allowing two runs (one earned) and five hits while striking out a career-high 14 in six innings (110 pitches) of Chicago’s 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday. The 30-year-old Colombian had won his previous two starts and is 6-0 with a 3.40 ERA in his last eight turns. Pittsburgh’s Starlin Marte is 3-for-20 with seven strikeouts while Josh Bell has a home run in 11 at-bats versus Quintana, who is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA in eight starts against the Pirates.

• Keller yielded two runs (one earned), five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in five innings of a 10-2 victory over the Angels in Anaheim on Monday in his fourth career start. “He looked more confident and he looked more comfortable,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle told reporters about the 23-year-old Iowa native. “We’ll see how he continues to progress as we continue to give him the opportunity.” Keller, a second-round selection in 2014, was 0-1 with a 10.50 ERA in his first three appearances.

• Chicago 3B Kris Bryant on Saturday hit his 25th home run of the season – the fourth time he’s accomplished the feat in his career. Only Ron Santo (eight times) and Aramis Ramirez (seven) have done it more times among Cubs third basemen.

• Bell (31 home runs), who is one homer shy of matching the club record by a switch hitter set by Bobby Bonilla in 1990, went deep and drove in four runs in the Pirates 6-3 victory over St. Louis in the 2017 MLB Little League Classic.

• Chicago is 9-19 on the road versus the NL Central this season.