The Pittsburgh Pirates will be taking on their divisional rival Chicago Cubs in a Sunday showdown. The opening pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET and WGN will be televising the matchup.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cubs are 80-68 straight up (SU) and 70-77 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle a whole lot for gamblers, losing 3.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 6.9 units ATS. Chicago has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Pirates have gone 65-84 SU this year and are 73-75 ATS. In total, the club has lost 7.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 18.7 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Cubs games have a 66-70-11 over/under record in 2019. Pirates games have gone over 84 times, gone under 56 times and pushed on eight occasions.
The right-handed Trevor Williams is getting the nod for the visiting Pirates. Williams is 7-6 with a 5.28 ERA and 102 strikeouts. He’s 1-1 with eight strikeouts and a 10.64 ERA against Chicago this year (two starts).
The Cubs are putting the ball in the left hand of Jose Quintana (13-8, 4.15 ERA), who’s got 143 strikeouts and 43 walks as well as a 1.30 WHIP. Quintana is 4-0 with 28 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA across four starts against Pittsburgh this year.
Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game overall in 2019 as a unit. The team’s starters have an ERA of 4.05, a WHIP of 1.29 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.8. The bullpen has a 3.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 9.0 K/9. In 62 divisional games, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.81 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.27.
Chicago’s hitters have produced 5.0 runs per outing, including 5.0 per game against divisional foes and 8.6 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .282/.377/.554 over its last five matchups and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Shortstop Javier Baez and third baseman Kris Bryant have led the Cubs’ hitters this year. Baez is slashing .281/.316/.532 with 29 home runs, 85 RBIs and 88 runs scored, while Bryant’s line sits at .285/.384/.526 with 29 homers, 73 RBIs and 103 runs.
In the other dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 5.6 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.39 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 8.23 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.90, along with a K/9 of 9.98.
Pirates hitters have slashed .267/.327/.428 on their way to 4.8 runs scored per game this season, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Pittsburgh’s offensive production has been sparked by outfielders Starling Marte and Bryan Reynolds. Marte is slashing .295/.342/.503 with 23 home runs, 82 RBIs, 97 runs and 25 steals, while Reynolds (.321/.385/.514) has produced 16 homers, 66 RBIs and 82 runs scored.
The Pirates have lost 6.8 units and are 17-21 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 26 of those games, compared to 11 that’ve gone under against lefty starters. On the other hand, the Cubs have netted 3.6 units and are 57-58 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 53 of those games, as opposed to 53 that’ve cashed the under.
Pirates vs. Cubs MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in only two of Pittsburgh’s last seven games.
- The Pirates have an OPS of .755 this season, including an OPS of .659 against left-handed pitchers. The Cubs’ OPS sits at .787 overall and .744 against southpaws.
- Chicago has posted 26.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 28.6 over its last five.
- The Pirates have hit six home runs in their last 10 games. The Cubs have hit 21 over their last 10.
