The Pittsburgh Pirates (65-73) travel to face off against the Chicago Cubs (71-68) on Wednesday, September 4th. This game will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago and televised on SN PT. The Pirates are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cubs are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pirates. First pitch is set for 6:40 CT.
Pirates vs. Cubs Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Cubs (-192)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Cubs have scored an average of 8.6 runs per game in their last 10 wins.
- The Cubs have won 7 of their last 10 games.
- The Cubs have a 5-1 record against the Pirates in their last 6 head-to-head games.
- The Cubs have scored 14 or more runs in 3 of their last 5 games against the Pirates.
- The Cubs have a better home record (36-31) compared to the Pirates’ away record (33-37).
Pirates vs Cubs
Pittsburgh cruised to a 5-0 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 7th inning, scoring three of their five runs. As for the Cubs, they had their best chance to score in the 5th, but left the bases loaded. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -122.
Paul Skenes pitched well for the Pirates in this one, going five innings and striking out six without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Kyle Hendricks took the loss for the Cubs. Hendricks went five innings and gave up two earned runs.
Jared Triolo was the only player in the game to homer, going 1/4 with three RBIs. Nick Gonzales also had a two-hit game for Pittsburgh.
As underdogs, the Pirates have a 37-49 straight-up record this season, and they are 43-27 against the run line on the road. The over/under record for Pirates games is 67-69, with an average of 8.7 runs scored per game. In games with an over/under line of 8 runs, their O/U record is 14-15.
Pittsburgh is currently in 5th place in the NL Central, half a game behind the Reds for 4th place. They have an overall record of 65-73 and have won two straight games. The Pirates’ series record this season is 17-21-5, and they have lost their last two series.
Domingo Germán Gets The Start For The Pirates
Domingo Germán has made just one start for the Pirates this season, and he finished with a no-decision in that outing. Against the Guardians on August 30th, he went 3 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, 4 hits, and 1 homer. Looking back at his last three outings, Germán has finished with a no-decision in each appearance. His ERA for the season is 6.11, along with a WHIP of 1.58. Out of his six appearances, Germán has one quality start. Per nine innings, he has 7.64 strikeouts and 6.11 walks. At home, his ERA is 13.5 compared to 2.62 on the road.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the majors. This season, they are batting just .236 as a team, and their team on-base percentage of .302 is also near the bottom of the league. Pittsburgh’s collective slugging percentage of .373 is also just 21st in the majors.
Bryan Reynolds has been swinging a good bat of late, going 11/39 in his last 10 games with three homers. He is also on a three-game hitting streak. For the season, he is batting .282 with a team-high 77 RBIs and 22 homers. Oneil Cruz is also swinging a hot bat, hitting .333 in his last 10 games.
Chicago has won five straight series and is 7-3 in their last ten games. They are 71-68 overall and trail the Brewers by 10 games in the NL Central. The Cubs have a 20-20-3 series record and are 37-33 as favorites and 34-35 as underdogs.
On the run line, the Cubs are 43-29 as the away team and 46-23 as underdogs. The over/under record for Cubs games with an 8-run line is 9-16-1. This season, Cubs games have averaged 8.7 runs, resulting in a 64-70 O/U record.
Shota Imanaga Gets The Start For The Cubs
Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today and is coming off a strong outing vs. the Nationals. In that start, he went six innings, giving up three earned runs, and got the win. Looking back further, Imanaga has won each of his last two starts. This year, he has made 25 starts, and opponents are batting .229 vs. Imanaga. His record for the season is 11-3, and his ERA is 3.14. Imanaga’s WHIP for the season is 1.05. Per nine innings, he is averaging 9.1 strikeouts and just 1.41 walks.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Cubs are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 5 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .240, which is 15th in the league, and are 17th in the league in slugging percentage. The Cubs have been good at drawing walks this season and have the 8th best on-base percentage in the league.
Over his last five games, Ian Happ has gone 4/20 at the plate, but he does have one home run and four RBIs during that stretch. Happ has 23 homers this season, which is the best mark on the team and 14th in the league. Seiya Suzuki is 2nd on the team with 19 homers and is batting .275 for the season.
Pirates vs Cubs Prediction
Our predicted final score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Cubs. However, with the Cubs being such heavy favorites on the money line, we recommend taking the over, as there is some solid value with the line being set at 8 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Shota Imanaga is projected to go 5-6 innings, and we have him finishing with six strikeouts. As for Domingo German, he has a strikeout projection of seven, and we have him going 4-5 innings.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:September 4, 2024 Cubs, Pirates