Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction & Betting Tips 8/26/2024

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Preview

From PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the Cubs and Pirates face off in an NL Central matchup. The money line odds have the Cubs at -107 compared to the Pirates at -112, and the over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs.

First pitch for this one is set for 6:40 PM ET, and SN PT will be televising the game. Jameson Taillon is starting for the Pirates, while the Cubs are going with Mitch Keller. The Cubs are 3rd in the NL Central, while the Pirates are 5th.

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Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs Trends and Key Stats

• The Cubs are 2-3 across their last five road games. They have gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
• On the opposing side, the Pirates have a 1-4 (SU) record, along with a 3-2 record in their last five home contests.
• In their previous ten games, Cubs have won 6-4 as favorites and 6-4 as underdogs.
• The Pirates are 7-3 (favorite) and 4-6 (underdog).

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction

Heading into their last game vs. the Marlins, the Cubs closed out the series with a 7-2 loss. Chicago was the heavy favorite at -177. Things started off well for the Cubs, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Marlins scored two runs in the bottom of the first.

Javier Assad put together a good start for the Cubs, going seven innings and giving up just three earned runs, and picking up three K’s. However, he took the loss, and the Cubs offense scored only two runs. Ian Happ was hot at the plate, going 3/5 with two doubles, a run scored, and a RBI.

Chicago is 65-66 overall, putting them 3rd in the NL Central, 10.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. So far, they have gone just 17-26 against other teams in the NL Central. The Cubs are on the road today, where they are 29-37 this year.

The Cubs have won three straight series, and they took two of three from the Marlins in their most recent series. Chicago has been just above .500 over the last 10 games, going 6-4. As the favorite, the Cubs are 33-32 this year and 32-34 as the underdog.

Chicago has been a solid run line bet on the road, going 38-28, but has been a poor bet at home, going just 25-40. The Cubs have a run differential of +0.1 runs per game, but that number is better on the road, where they are -0.2 runs per game. When they win, they win by an average of 3.5 runs per game, while their losses come by an average of 3.2 runs per game.

Chicago is on the road against Pittsburgh, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Cubs have played in 37 games with higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs, and their over/under record for the season is 58-68. Their games have averaged 8.4 runs per game this season.

Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces his former team, the Pirates. He comes into the game with a record of 8-8 and an ERA of 3.77. Taillon has made 22 starts this season and has pitched well on the road, coming in with a record of 3-4 and an ERA of 4.97. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight outings. Taillon’s ERA for the month of August is 5.79.

Over the past five games, Seiya Suzuki has been swinging a hot bat for the Cubs, going 8/20 with two homers and four RBIs. This comes after he was just 2/15 in his five games before that stretch. Miguel Amaya is also on a hot streak, going 8/13 in his last four games with two homers and seven RBIs. Pete Crow-Armstrong has also gone deep twice in his last five games, hitting .353 in that stretch.

Chicago’s offense is led by Ian Happ and Isaac Paredes, who both have 18 homers this season. Happ’s 72 RBIs are the best mark on the team, while Paredes is 2nd with 64 RBIs. Happ is batting just .234 for the season, and Paredes is even lower at .227. Seiya Suzuki is 2nd on the Cubs with 18 homers and is batting .268 for the season.

The Pirates’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Reds, closing out their series with a 4-3 win. After allowing three runs to the Reds in the top of the 1st, the Pirates responded with a run of their own. Pittsburgh went on to add another run in the 3rd inning and closed things out with a 4th run in the 7th.

Luis Ortiz put together a good start for the Pirates, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out five. Yasmani Grandal had only one hit, but it was a home run, and the Pirates also got a big game from Isiah Kiner-Falefa, going 3/4 with two RBIs.

Pittsburgh is 5th in the NL Central, trailing the Reds by a half-game for the 4th spot in the division. Overall, the Pirates are 62-68 and are 13 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. They have gone 20-16 against other teams in the NL Central this year.

The Pirates have an even 32-33 record at home this year, and they are 30-35 on the road. So far, they have been the favorite in 49 games, going 27-22 in those matchups. As for their games as the underdog, the Pirates are 35-46. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 18-18-5, and they are coming off winning their series vs. the Reds.

Despite having a losing record overall, the Pirates have been a profitable team to back on the run line this season, going 74-56. They’ve been especially good on the road, where they’re 40-25 against the run line. As an underdog, they’re 55-26 against the run line this season. Their average run differential in games they’ve won is +3.2, while it’s -3.4 in games they’ve lost.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing at home against the Chicago Cubs today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The Pirates’ games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 62-66. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 26-20, and 16.2% of their games have had higher lines than 8.5 runs.

Mitch Keller will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. Against the Rangers on August 20th, Keller pitched seven innings, picking up the win and giving up just three hits. This year, he has made 25 starts, and opponents are batting .240 off the right-hander. Keller’s ERA for the season is 3.76, along with a record of 11-7. For the year, he has turned in 13 quality starts and is averaging 8.13 strikeouts per nine innings. Keller’s WHIP for the season is 1.21.

So far this season, the Pirates offense has been one of the worst in the league, as they are 23rd in runs per game (4.1), and have the 22nd home run total in the league. As a team, they are batting just .234, which is 18th in the MLB. One area where they have been solid is in terms of strikeouts, as they are 24th in the league in this category. The Pirates’ team OPS of .670 is also 24th in the league.

Yasmani Grandal has been swinging a hot bat for the Pirates, as he has two homers in his last three games while going 4/12. His three-game hitting streak is tied with Andrew McCutchen and Oneil Cruz for the longest on the team. Cruz comes into the game with a batting average of .265, and he is 2nd on the team with 18 homers.

With the money line payout, we see the Pirates at -112 as the best bet for this Cubs vs. Pirates matchup. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Pirates, giving us some wiggle room with the predicted run line.

Looking at the starting pitchers, Mitch Keller is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is good for fourth among all starters today. As for Jameson Taillon, he is projected to finish with five K’s, which is 13th.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Betting Tips

• We like the Pirates on the moneyline (-112)
• On the run line we like Pirates (+1.5)
• Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over

Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report

Chicago Cubs Injury Report