Cubs-Pirates: 3 things to know for the NL wild card

The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are set to meet in the postseason for the first time Wednesday, despite sharing the same division since 1969.

Finishing with the second- and third-best records in the majors, respectively, the Pirates and Cubs face each other in the single-elimination game by the unfortunate circumstance of playing within the stacked NL Central.

Here are three things to know about the wild-card game:

POCKET ACES

Don't expect a lot of offense when two of baseball's top right-handers take the mound at PNC Park.

Jake Arrieta gets the ball for the visitors as the Cubs ace looks to carry a Cy Young-worthy regular season into the playoffs. The 29-year-old has been virtually unhittable the past two months, allowing four earned runs over his last 88 1/3 innings, while striking out 89. In five starts against the Bucs, Arrieta owns a sparkling 0.75 ERA and 0.63 WHIP.

Pirates vs. Arrieta

The Pirates counter with an ace of their own, as first-time All-Star Gerrit Cole attempts to propel his side to the NLDS for the first time since 2013. The 25-year-old went 9-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 15 starts at home, and is 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA against the Cubs this season.

Cubs vs. Cole

TORTURED FAN BASES

Chicago's futility has been well documented throughout its 107-year World Series drought. The Cubs haven't won a playoff game since 2003, and were swept in back-to-back NLDS in 2007 and 2008. A win in Pittsburgh would bring postseason baseball back to Wrigley Field for the first time in eight years.

While the Cubs' playoff ineptitude is at a historic rate, they're unlikely to receive any sympathy from Southwestern Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh posted 20 consecutive losing seasons before reaching the playoffs in 2013, falling in Game 5 of the NLDS. The Pirates haven't reached the World Series since winning it all in 1979.

YOUTH VS. EXPERIENCE

The Pirates are no strangers to the wild-card game, having appeared in the one-game spectacle in each of the last three seasons. Shut out 8-0 by the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants a year ago, Pittsburgh returns five starters from last season's team.

The Cubs' young core propelled them to a 97-win season and the majors' best road record, but the team has limited postseason experience. Dexter Fowler and Miguel Montero are the only starting position players who have played in October, combining for 41 at-bats between the two of them.