The Pittsburgh Pirates will take the field against their division rival Chicago Cubs in a Wednesday night game. WGN will be televising the matchup and the game is slated to get going at 8:05 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cubs are 3-7 straight up (SU) and 3-7 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 4.8 units for moneyline bettors and 6.8 units ATS. Chicago has covered the spread only twice in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. On the other hand, the Pirates have gone 5-4 SU this year and are 5-4 ATS. In total, the club has gained 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors through the early portions of the season and 0.1 units ATS.
Chicago games have had an over/under record of 8-1-1 so far in 2019. The Pirates have an over/under record of 5-4.
Jordan Lyles (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the nod for Pittsburgh. The right-handed Lyles recorded 84 strikeouts in 87 innings last year (with 28 walks) while finishing the season 3-4 overall with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.
The Cubbies are going with righty Yu Darvish (0-1, 8.10 ERA) as their starter. Darvish struck out 49 hitters in 40 innings last year (8 starts), while finishing the season 1-3 overall with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.
Chicago’s pitching staff has allowed 7.1 runs per game overall in 2019 as a unit. The team’s starters have an ERA of 6.49, a WHIP of 1.98 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.4. The bullpen has a 6.92 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 10.5 K/9. In four games against NL Central opponents, Cubs starters have an ERA of 8.40 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.21.
The Chicago hitters have produced 7.2 runs per outing, including 8.0 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .247/.340/.466 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Shortstop Javier Baez and left fielder Ben Zobrist have led the Cubs’ hitters so far. Baez is slashing .273/.319/.545 with 12 hits, nine RBIs and nine runs scored, and Zobrist’s line is .355/.474/.355 with 11 hits, four RBIs and five runs.
For the visiting squad, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 1.98 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 8.46 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.36, along with a K-per-9 of 11.73.
The Pirates offense has slashed .246/.339/.377 on its way to 3.8 runs scored per game in 2019, including over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
Second baseman Adam Frazier and outfielder Melky Cabrera have led Pittsburgh’s offense. Frazier is slashing .324/.410/.500 with 11 hits, three RBIs and five runs scored, while Cabrera (.440/.462/.520) has produced 11 hits, three RBIs and three runs scored.
The Pirates have gained 2.0 units and are 5-3 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in four of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 3.8 units and are 2-5 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in six of those games, compared to one which went under the total.
Pirates at Cubs Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The Cubs went 10-9 SU against the Pirates in 2018.
- The Pirates’ bullpen managed an ERA of 4.25 against the Cubs last year.
- The Pirates have an OPS of .716 this season and an OPS of .737 against right-handed pitchers. The Cubs’ OPS sits at .868 overall and their left-right split is nearly identical.
