The Pittsburgh Pirates will be facing off against their divisional rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET and NBC Sports Chicago will be televising the action.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cubs are 6-5 SU and 5-5 ATS. The team’s lost 3.3 units for moneyline bettors and 0.0 units against the spread (ATS). The Pirates have gone 8-3 SU this year and are 7-3 ATS. Overall, the team’s gained 6.0 units for moneyline gamblers this year and 5.3 units ATS.
Chicago games have a 4-6 over/under record thus far in 2018. The Pirates have an over/under record of 7-3.
The Pirates have gained 5.0 units and are 6-3 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in six of those games, compared to three that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 0.3 units and are 4-3 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in four of those games, compared to three that’ve gone under.
Trevor Williams (2-0, 1.59 ERA) will get the start for the visiting Pirates. The right-handed Williams started 25 games last year while finishing the season 7-9 overall with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He made three starts against the Cubs in 2017 and compiled a 1-2 record against them with a 4.82 ERA and 13 strikeouts.
The Cubbies are going with righty Kyle Hendricks (0-0, 4.09 ERA) as their starter. Hendricks started 24 games last year while finishing the season 7-5 overall with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He made three starts against Pittsburgh a year ago and assembled a 1-1 record with a 2.55 ERA and eight strikeouts.
As a unit, Chicago’s pitching staff has yielded 3.5 runs per game overall in 2018. The club’s starters have a 4.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 1.55, a WHIP of 0.93 and a K/9 of 9.1. In seven games against divisional foes, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.46 and the bullpen’s ERA is 2.42.
The Chicago offense is putting up 5.2 runs per outing, including 6.0 per game over its last five. The team has hit .273/.350/.494 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Cubs’ offense has been led by third baseman Kris Bryant and second baseman Javier Baez. Bryant is slashing .348/.464/.630 with 16 hits, eight RBIs and seven runs scored, while Baez’s line is .229/.372/.714 with eight hits, 10 RBIs and 10 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 5.2 runs per game and its starters own a 3.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 7.35 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 7.51, along with a K/9 of 7.51.
The Pirates offense has slashed .282/.355/.460 on its way to 6.5 runs scored per game this year, including over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Pittsburgh’s hitters have been led by outfielders Gregory Polanco and Starling Marte. Polanco is slashing .243/.383/.595 with nine hits, 13 RBIs and nine runs scored, while Marte is slashing .262/.367/.548 with 11 hits, two homers, five RBIs and 10 runs scored.
Compared to his total season slash line of .275/.333/.379, Marte taken a step back when hitting right-handed pitchers on the road last season, putting up a slash line of .250/.289/.317 across 128 such plate appearances.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has cashed in five of Chicago’s last seven games.
- The Cubs have won three of their last four games SU.
- Pittsburgh has posted 24.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 28.8 over its last five.
- The Pirates have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cubs have hit 10 over their last 10.
