The Chicago Cubs will play host to their divisional rival Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. NBC Sports Chicago will be airing the action and the game will get going at 8:05 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Pirates are 80-77 SU and have gone 76-80 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 6.0 units for moneyline bettors, despite having lost 12.6 units ATS. Pittsburgh is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Cubs, on the other hand, are 92-66 SU and 77-80 ATS. They’ve gained 0.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 3.3 units ATS. Chicago has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven outings and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
Cubs games have had an over/under record of 69-85-3 in 2018. The Pirates have also been a decent under bet with a total record of 68-78-10.
Trevor Williams will get the start for the visiting Pirates. The right-handed Williams is 14-9 with a 3.04 ERA and 122 strikeouts. He’s 1-1 with nine strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA against Chicago this year (two starts).
The Cubs are handing the ball to lefty Jon Lester (17-6, 3.43 ERA), who’s got 146 strikeouts and 60 walks, as well as a 1.31 WHIP. Lester is 3-1 with 25 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA over five starts against Pittsburgh this year.
As a unit, Chicago’s pitching staff has allowed 4.0 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have an ERA of 3.92, a WHIP of 1.33 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.9. The bullpen has a 3.37 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.6 K/9. In 72 games against divisional opponents, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.43 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.78.
The Chicago hitters are putting up 4.7 runs per contest, including 4.1 per game against divisional foes and 4.4 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .267/.337/.372 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Cubs’ offense has been led by second baseman Javier Baez and first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Baez is hitting .293/.327/.562 with 34 home runs, 111 RBIs, 98 runs and 21 stolen bases, and Rizzo is hitting .280 with 24 homers, 97 RBIs and 70 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.97 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 7.62 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.11, along with a K-per-9 of 9.44.
The Pirates offense has slashed .254/.320/.407 on its way to 4.3 runs scored per game this season, including 4.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Outfielders Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson have led Pittsburgh’s offense. Marte is slashing .275/.322/.451 with 19 home runs, 71 RBIs, 77 runs and 33 stolen bases, while Dickerson is hitting .298/.330/.474 with 13 homers, 54 RBIs and 65 runs scored.
The Pirates have lost 3.9 units and are 21-25 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 26 of those games, as opposed to 19 that’ve gone under against lefty starters. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 3.3 units and are 59-63 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 53 of those games, compared to 66 that’ve gone under.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in only two of Pittsburgh’s last seven outings.
The Pirates have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games, including six over their last five.
Chicago has recorded 20.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 23.6 over its last five.
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