Cubs visit the Pirates to open 3-game series

Chicago Cubs (22-16, second in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (17-21, third in the NL Central) Pittsburgh; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Javier Assad (3-0, 1.66 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 31 strikeouts); Pirates: Jared Jones (2-3, 2.63 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 52 strikeouts) : LINE Pirates -138, Cubs +116; over/under is 7 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates start a three-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. Pittsburgh has an 8-10 record at home and a 17-21 record overall. The Pirates are 11-1 in games when they scored at least five runs. Chicago has a 22-16 record overall and a 9-10 record in road games. The Cubs rank fifth in the NL with 40 total home runs, averaging