In the second of a two-game series between the Pittsburgh Pirates (61-44) and the Chicago Cubs (58-47) at PNC Park, Jeff Locke (6-6, 4.21 ERA) and Dan Haren (7-7, 3.42 ERA) take the mound. The Cubs won the last game 5-0, extending a six-game winning streak. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 5 and will air on CSCh and RTPT.
In his last start, Locke pitched 5.0 innings, giving up three runs, striking out five and walking three in a 5-4 victory over the Reds. Andrew McCutchen (.290, 57 Rs, 15 HRs, 66 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday. Anthony Rizzo (.293, 59 Rs, 20 HRs, 61 RBIs, 14 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Cubs, going 4 for 5 yesterday with two runs.
Pittsburgh is a -119 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Pirates perform well as a favorite with a 51-26 record and have an overall money line of +852. They have a 19-27 record SU and are 15-15 as favorite within their division. Division games have been tough for the Pirates. Pittsburgh has only averaged 3.7 runs per game compared to its 4.1 season average. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff can be considered one of the best in the NL. The Pirates have a team ERA of 3.20, one of the lowest in their league. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, averaging 8.0 strikeouts per game.
On the other side, the Cubs have a record of 19-19 when they are the underdog and are +199 overall with the money line. Over the last 10 games, they were unbeaten as the underdog with a perfect 1-0 record and 7-3 SU. Chicago is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 274 extra base hits. Chicago is a terror on the base paths, ranking fifth in the MLB with 71 stolen bases. Chicago’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 4.2 runs per game against teams from the NL Central, higher than their season average of 3.7. They have a WHIP of 1.18, second best in the MLB. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in baseball with an NL-high 8.7 strikeouts per game.
The Cubs have gotten the better of the Pirates in head-to-head matchups this season, going 7-4. The Pirates will take on a right-hander (Haren) in this game and have a 51-35 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Locke will take the mound against the Cubs. Against lefty starters this season, they’ve racked up an impressive 14-8 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – ChC, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 8 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs.
Pittsburgh is 15-7 SU in their last 22 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs.
Chi Cubs are 7-15 SU in their last 22 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh.
Chicago earned its 13th shutout of the season in its last game. Pittsburgh has been shut out eight times this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Pirates are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Cubs have a 13-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Cubs are 13-34. The Pirates have a 14-34 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 27th in home runs, Pittsburgh has hit 83 this season. Chicago ranks 14th with 95 home runs.
Ranking 14th, Chicago is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.09 per game. Pittsburgh ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.83.
Ranking 24th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.690). Pittsburgh ranks in the bottom half at 18th with an OPS of .700.
The Cubs are 26-30 when they allow at least one home run. The Pirates perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 24-28 record.
