The Pittsburgh Pirates play the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, September 9 at 7:40 p.m. ET at Rate Field. Davis Martin starts for Chicago, with Pittsburgh not yet announcing a starter, a day after the Pirates won 9-3.
| First pitch | Wednesday, September 9, 7:40 p.m. ET (6:40 CT) |
| TV | Regional coverage in both markets, MLB.TV out of market |
| Pirates starter | To be announced |
| White Sox starter | Davis Martin, RHP (9-6) |
| Records | Pirates 72-73, White Sox 75-69 |
| Series | Pirates lead after Tuesday’s 9-3 win. Series finishes Thursday |
What Time Is Pirates vs. White Sox and What Channel?
7:40 p.m. ET, 6:40 in Chicago. Regional coverage in both markets and MLB.TV out of market. Luis Castillo and Jared Jones close the series Thursday.
Chicago Is Actually Leading a Division
The White Sox at 75-69 lead the AL Central by two over Cleveland, which is not a sentence anyone expected to write about this franchise a couple of years ago. Davis Martin at 9-6 has been part of that.
Tuesday was a bad night, though. Pittsburgh scored nine behind Bubba Chandler, who moved to 7-9, and Sean Burke took the loss.
What It Means for the Race
Chicago is holding a two game lead on Cleveland with a modest plus 43 run differential, so there is not much cushion. Losing a home series to a Pittsburgh team at 72-73 would tighten the Central at exactly the wrong time.
Pittsburgh at 72-73 is 17 and a half back in the NL Central and out of the wild card race, but the Pirates have outscored their opponents on the season and have been a difficult out.
Related
AL Central standings · MLB playoff race tracker · All MLB games today
The Bottom Line
7:40 p.m. ET Wednesday at Rate Field. Davis Martin for Chicago against a Pittsburgh starter still to be named, with the AL Central lead on the line.