Kyle Hendricks (0-0, 5.74 ERA) and Jeff Locke (2-0, 3.32 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Chicago Cubs (11-7) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-9) at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won the last game 4-0 and Chicago leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Apr. 28 and can be seen on ROOT-PIT and WPWR.
Hendricks pitched 5.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs and striking out two in a 5-4 defeat to the Pirates. Anthony Rizzo (.344, 15 Rs, 2 HRs, 9 RBIs, 5 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run and two RBIs. When pitching against the Cubs, Locke is 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts. Gregory Polanco (.288, 11 Rs, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 7 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Pirates, going 3 for 5 yesterday with three runs and one RBI.
Chicago is a -123 favorite against Pittsburgh and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is currently not available. The Cubs have an overall money line of +227 and a record as the favorite of 5-5. Chicago has had an impressive season against division opponents, earning 4-3 and 7-4 records as the favorite and SU respectively. Chicago is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 20 bases. Chicago’s pitchers put it all together when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game drops to 3.3 against fellow NL Central members, compared to its 3.9 season average. The Cubs are the fifth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.13 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cubs, who rank fourth in the NL in strikeouts per home game with 8.4.
In games where it is the underdog, Pittsburgh has a 3-3 record and an overall money line of +188. They have managed to pull off a perfect record over their last ten games while playing as the underdog, and have an 8-2 SU record over the same span. Offensively, the Pirates have really picked up the pace in division games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 4.6 in those contests. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff is one of the top in the NL at pitching on the road, with a 2.70 ERA. The Pirates have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.8 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Cubs lead the season series, 3-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC
Notes
Chicago won its last game in a shutout, its third of the season. Pittsburgh has been shut out four times this season.
The Cubs are 4-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Pirates are 0-1 in such matchups.
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 3-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cubs are 6-1. The Pirates have an 8-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top half of the league based on total runs this season, Chicago ranks 12th with 82 runs and Pittsburgh is 14th with 79.
Ranking 30th, Pittsburgh is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 36 this season. Chicago ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 64.
When the Cubs hit at least one home run, they are 8-1. When the Pirates hit at least one homer, they have an 8-4 record.
