Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
From Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have the Pirates and Cubs facing off in an NL Central matchup. The Cubs are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -133 compared to the Pirates, who are +114. The over/under line is at 7.5 runs.
First pitch for this one is set for 7:40 PM ET, and MARQ will be televising it. Justin Steele is starting for the Cubs, while the Pirates are going with Jared Jones. The Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central, while the Pirates are 3rd, and they are 19-25 overall.
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Chicago Cubs Trends and Key Stats
- The Pirates are 1-4 across their last five road games. They have gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
- In the Cubs’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 2-3 (SU) with 1-4 against the spread.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Cubs have a record of 5-5 straight-up, and have gone 1-9 against the runline.
- Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the Pirates have a straight-up record of 4-6 and a 7-3 record vs. the runline.
Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction
The Pirates will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Brewers with a 10-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 3rd inning before the Brewers scored five runs in the inning. Pittsburgh was the +127 underdog on the road going into this game.
Martin Perez had a rough outing, giving up nine earned runs on 11 hits and issuing three walks. The Pirates also wasted a big game from Andrew McCutchen, who went 3/4 with a homer and two RBIs.
The Pirates are on the road today, looking to pick up a win vs. the Cubs and close the 7.5-game gap they have on the Brewers in the NL Central. Overall, the Pirates are 19-25 and have gone 4-6 in the NL Central this year. They lost the final two games of their series vs. the Brewers.
Pittsburgh has an overall series record of 4-7-3 this year, and they have dropped three straight series. At home, the Pirates are 9-12 this year and 10-13 on the road. As the underdog, Pittsburgh is 13-13 this year and 6-12 when favored.
Despite a losing record, the Pirates have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 23-21. They have been especially good on the road, going 13-10. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 18-8 against the run line.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a combined run average of 8.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 20-23. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, the Pirates’ record is 1-7. Overall, 68.2% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and their average over/under line for the season is 8 runs per game.
Jared Jones gets the start for the Pirates today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made eight starts this year and has a record of 2-4. Jones’ ERA is 2.68, along with a WHIP of .87. In his 47 innings of work, Jones has given up eight homers. Looking back at his last outing, Jones took the loss, giving up two earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had pitched seven scoreless innings. Jones has made five quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 10.72 strikeouts and just 1.34 walks.
Connor Joe has been the Pirates’ most consistent hitter this season, batting .286 with a team-high 22 RBIs and six home runs, which is 8th in the league. Joe is also on a good stretch of games, going 4/15 with three homers in his last four games. Oneil Cruz has also been a good power source for the Pirates, as he is 7th in the league with seven homers and is batting .266.
As a team, the Pirates are batting just .223 and are near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories. They are 26th in the league in runs scored and have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.3 runs per game. The Pirates do have a few players on good hitting streaks, as Joey Bart and Nick Gonzales have both hit safely in three straight games.
Heading into their last game vs. the Braves, the Cubs closed out the series with a 7-1 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at +160. Offensively, the Cubs scored their seven runs on jsonly 13 hits and didn’t hit a home run.
Javier Assad put together a good start for the Cubs, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out seven Braves batters. Chicago’s offense was carried by Seiya Suzuki, who went 2/5 with a double, a run scored, and a
With an overall record of 25-19, the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 1.5 games. So far, they are 4-2 in divisional games. The Cubs will take on the Pirates today, who are 7.5 games out of 1st place in the NL Central.
Chicago is 13-6 at home compared to 12-13 on the road. As the favorite, the Cubs have gone 11-6 this year and 7-4 when favored at home. Their overall series record is 7-5-2, and they lost their most recent series vs. the Braves.
Chicago has a run line record of 25-19 this season, with a +0.3 run differential. They are 10-9 against the run line at home, where they have a +1.7 scoring margin. As the underdog, they are 19-8 against the run line, but as the favorite, they are just 6-11.
The Cubs have played 25 games this season with over/under lines higher than 7.5, and the over/under record in those games is 11-14. The Cubs have also played 7 games with over/under lines lower than 7.5, and the over/under record in those games is 3-4. The Cubs have gone under the over/under line in their last 3 games.
Justin Steele is getting the start for the Cubs today, and he will be facing the Pirates. This will be his second start of the season, and in his first outing, he went 4 innings and gave up 6 runs on 6 hits. However, he did strike out 6 batters.
For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting just .237, which is 15th in the league. However, they do have the 8th most home runs in the league.
Christopher Morel comes into the game as the Cubs’ top power threat, as his nine home runs are 5th in the league. However, he is batting just .212 for the season and has gone 7/34 in his last 10 games. Cody Bellinger is also tied for 2nd on the team with seven homers and comes in on a four-game hitting streak.
Our prediction for today’s Pirates vs. Cubs game is to take the Cubs on the money line at -133. We have the Cubs winning this one by a final score of 5-4. Looking at the starters, our projections have Justin Steele finishing with six strikeouts, and he will finish with the second-most strikeouts among today’s starters.
As for Jared Jones, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and the Pirates finishing with just four hits. If you’re looking for a Cubs player to hit a home run, they are projected to finish with the eighth-most home runs today, and we have them finishing with nine hits.
Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Tips
- Take the Cubs on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Pirates (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Chicago Cubs Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Drew Smyly | Out | Hip |
| Yency Almonte | Out | Shoulder |
| Dansby Swanson | Out | Knee |
| Keegan Thompson | Out | Illness |
| Adbert Alzolay | Out | Forearm |
| Julian Merryweather | Out | Back |
| Nico Hoerner | Questionable | Hamstring |
| Daniel Palencia | Out | Shoulder |
| Caleb Kilian | Out | Teres Major |
| Jordan Wicks | Out | Forearm |
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Marco Gonzales | Out | Forearm |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | Out | Back |
| Ryan Borucki | Out | Tricep |
| Jason Delay | Out | Knee |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Endy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
