The Pittsburgh Pirates will head west to take on their division rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The matchup starts at 2:20 p.m. ET and you can watch the game on WLS and ATPT.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Pirates have gone 7-2 SU this year and are 5-3 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 3.6 units for moneyline bettors over the early part of the year and 3.0 units ATS. The Cubs are 5-4 SU and 4-4 ATS. They’ve lost 2.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 0.3 units ATS.
Chicago games have an over/under record of 3-5 so far in 2018. Pirates games have gone over six times, gone under two times and pushed on zero occasions.
The Pirates have gained 2.6 units and are 4-3 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in five of those games, compared to two that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cubs have netted 0.3 units and are 3-2 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in three of those games, compared to two which went under the total.
Ivan Nova (0-1, 6.10 ERA) will get the start for the visiting Pirates. The right-handed Nova started 31 games last year while finishing the season 11-14 overall with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He made three starts against Chicago in 2017 and compiled a 2-1 record against the Cubs with a 4.86 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
The Cubbies are rolling with righty Tyler Chatwood (0-1, 1.50 ERA) as their starter. Chatwood started 25 games last year while finishing the season 8-15 overall with a 4.69 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.
Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 2.9 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.88, a WHIP of 1.36 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.2. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 0.94, a WHIP of 0.99 and a K/9 of 9.9. In five games against NL Central opponents, Cubs starters have an ERA of 1.86 and the bullpens ERA is 1.26.
Chicago’s offense is putting up 4.3 runs per contest, including 4.0 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .220/.325/.369 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Cubs hitters have been led by third baseman Kris Bryant and second baseman Ben Zobrist. Bryant is slashing .324/.457/.622 with 12 hits, six RBIs and five runs scored, while Zobrist’s line is .360/.448/.520 with nine hits, three RBIs and two runs.
In the visiting dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.14 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 7.49 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 5.67, along with a K-per-9 of 7.56.
The Pirates offense has slashed .283/.363/.455 on its way to 6.4 runs scored per game this year, including over the teams last five contests (3-2 SU).
Pittsburgh’s offense has been led by outfielder Gregory Polanco and second baseman Josh Harrison. Polanco is slashing .310/.447/.759 with nine hits, 13 RBIs and eight runs scored, while Harrison (.342/.409/.474) is up to 13 hits, five RBIs and 11 runs scored.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The Cubs went 10-9 SU against the Pirates in 2017.
- The Pirates have won three of their last four games SU,
- The Cubs bullpen managed 4.15 ERA against the Pirates last year.
