Chicago @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( May 27, 2012 ) Chi. Cubs 4, Pittsburgh 10

The Cubs, who had baseball’s worst record on the morning of June 25, reeled off 14 wins in 19 games before hitting a wall at St. Louis over the weekend. Chicago was outscored, 23-1, in losing three straight. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has kept pace in the National League Central by winning five straight, its first such streak since September 2010. The Pirates own the best home record in the major leagues at 32-14 and took three in a row at PNC Park against the Cubs in late May.

The Pirates, now a season-best 14 games above .500, have been riding a solid pitching staff and the torrid hitting of All-Star CF Andrew McCutchen, who is batting .483 with seven home runs in July and leads the majors in batting, slugging percentage and OPS. The Cubs have scored fewer runs than any team in baseball, but their pitching has improved in recent weeks — Chicago’s team ERA has been more than half a run lower in July.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, Comcast Sports (Chicago), ROOT Sports (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jeff Samardzija (6-8, 4.57 ERA) vs. Pirates LH Erik Bedard (5-10, 4.55)

Samardzija suffered through a brutal stretch of four straight losses in June that saw him give up 25 runs in 18 1/3 innings, but he has righted the ship somewhat in his last three outings, going 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 19 innings. The first-year starter has made 11 relief appearances against the Pirates in his career, going 1-0 with three holds and a 1.29 ERA.

Bedard had been 0-4 with a 7.99 ERA over his previous five starts before rebounding with a win at Colorado on July 17 (6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K). A lack of command has held him back — the veteran has walked 43 batters in 93 innings. In his first lifetime start against the Cubs on May 27, Bedard went six scoreless innings for the win, allowing just two hits.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pittsburgh has won 23 of its last 29 home games; the Cubs have won four consecutive games against left-handed starters.

2. Half of the Cubs’ 62 total previous at-bats against Bedard belong to OF Reed Johnson, who is 7-for-31 with seven strikeouts. OF Alfonso Soriano is 5-for-8 with a home run, while the rest of the team is 4-for-23.

3. McCutchen (2-for-5) is the lone Pittsburgh hitter with more than one lifetime hit against Samardzija — the Pirates are a combined 6-for-28 (.214) against Monday’s starter.