Jake Arrieta (16-5, 2.62 ERA) and Steven Brault (0-1, 3.60 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the Chicago Cubs (82-47) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (67-61) at Wrigley Field. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 29 and can be seen on CSCh and RTPT.
Arrieta pitched 8.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs, striking out six and walking three in a 5-3 win over the Padres. Kris Bryant (.305, 107 Rs, 35 HRs, 89 RBIs, 8 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3. Brault went 6.0 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out three and walking three in a 3-1 defeat to the Brewers in his last outing. Starling Marte (.307, 68 Rs, 8 HRs, 45 RBIs, 44 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 3 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, one RBI, and one stolen base.
The odds for Chicago and Pittsburgh are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. Within its division, Chicago has a record of 34-16 SU. The Cubs have seen an uptick in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 6.0 runs per game. They average 5.1 runs per game on the season. Chicago leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 4.0 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, the Cubs are the top team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.116 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cubs, who rank third in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.9.
The Pirates are 25-24 against NL Central foes. Offensively, the Pirates have really sputtered in division games. They have decreased their season average of 4.5 runs per game by averaging 4.1 in those contests. The Pirates allow 4.4 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 3.3 runs per game during that span.
The Cubs have controlled the season series, 9-3. The Cubs have a great 15-7 record at home (27-14 overall) against left-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Brault takes the mound. Arrieta (RHP) will be on the hill against the Pirates, who have a 49-53 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC
Notes
Chicago recorded at least two errors for the 18th time this season.
The Cubs didn’t score any runs in their last game. The Pirates have a 5-0 record when they don’t allow any runs.
It looks like the Pirates have a slight leg up on the Cubs, as the Pirates have won their last four games while the Cubs have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Pirates are 43-10. The Cubs have a 69-14 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 18th in runs, Pittsburgh has earned 581 this season. Chicago ranks third with 655 runs.
Ranking first in walks, Chicago has earned 522 this season. Pittsburgh ranks 10th with 420 walks.
The Cubs are 61-24 when they hit at least one home run. The Pirates perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 48-27 record.
