The Chicago Cubs enter Tuesday in dire need of a win after getting swept by St. Louis in a four-game series to put them four games out of a wild card in the National League.

Luckily for the Cubbies, they'll face a Pittsburgh team that has lost nine straight games and unlikely to be able to put up much of a fight here with several regulars out of the lineup because of injuries.

Pittsburgh rookie righty Mitch Keller (1-5, 7.74 ERA) is 0-4 over his past six starts, a stretch that started with six runs allowed over 4 1/3 innings of a 7-1 loss to the Cubs on August 18. Chicago right-hander Kyle Hendricks (11-9, 3.37 ERA) has a 2.25 ERA in three starts against Pittsburgh this year.

The Cubs have won 11 of the last 16 matchups with the Pirates and they're a perfect 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.

8* play on Chicago Cubs.