The Pittsburgh Pirates will take on their division rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET and NBC Sports Chicago is in line to broadcast the action.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Pirates are 80-76 SU and have gone 75-80 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 4.5 units for moneyline bettors, despite having lost 13.6 units ATS. The Cubs, on the other hand, are 91-66 SU and 77-79 ATS. The team has gained 2.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 2.3 units ATS.
Chicago games have an over/under record of 69-84-3 in 2018. Pirates games have gone under 77 times, gone over 68 times and pushed on 10 occasions.
Ivan Nova is getting the start for Pittsburgh. The right-handed Nova is 9-9 with a 4.01 ERA and 111 strikeouts. He’s 2-1 with 17 strikeouts and a 2.33 ERA against Chicago this year (three starts).
The Cubs are putting the ball in the hands of lefty Jose Quintana (13-11, 4.11 ERA), who has 150 strikeouts and 68 walks, as well as a WHIP of 1.34. Quintana is 0-0 with four strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA in one start against Pittsburgh this year.
As a unit, Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 4.0 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starting pitching staff has a 3.92 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.34 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 8.6 K/9. In 71 games against NL Central foes, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.43 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.71.
Chicago’s hitters are putting up 4.7 runs per contest, including 4.1 per game against divisional foes and 3.8 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .250/.315/.361 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Javier Baez and first baseman Anthony Rizzo have led the Cubs’ offense this year. Baez is hitting .294/.328/.565 with 34 home runs, 110 RBIs, 97 runs and 21 steals, and Rizzo’s line is .278/.376/.464 with 24 homers, 96 RBIs and 69 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.93 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 7.62 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.13, along with a WHIP of 1.26 and a K-per-9 of 9.49.
Pirates hitters have slashed .254/.320/.406 on their way to 4.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Outfielders Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson continue to lead Pittsburgh’s hitters. Marte is hitting .276/.323/.452 with 19 home runs, 69 RBIs, 77 runs and 33 stolen bases, while Dickerson is slashing .299/.329/.470 with 12 homers, 53 RBIs and 64 runs scored.
The Pirates have lost 5.4 units and are 20-25 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in 26 of those games, compared to 18 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 1.7 units and are 59-62 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in 53 of those games, compared to 65 that went under.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Notes
The over has cashed in three of Pittsburgh’s last seven games.
Pittsburgh has posted 20.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.6 over its last five.
Both teams have hit eight home runs over their last 10 games.
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