The Chicago Cubs (31-22, 1st in NL Central) and Pittsburgh Pirates (15-38, 5th in NL Central) meet for the last time this season for a four-game set at PNC Park. The first pitch of Monday’s series opener will be thrown at 7:05 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Cubs-Pirates betting odds and lines, with MLB picks and best bets.
Cubs at Pirates: Projected starting pitchers
LHP Jon Lester vs. RHP JT Brubaker
Lester: 2-2, 10 starts, 4.91 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 6.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 51 1/3 IP
- Allowing a career-high 1.8 home runs per nine innings with 10 allowed on the season. Has allowed multiple home runs in three different games this season but has given up just one in two outings against the Pirates.
- Two outings against Pittsburgh have gone very different ways. He held them to one earned run over 6 innings at Wrigley Field but gave up 5 runs over 5 1/3 frames at PNC Park in his second appearance.
Brubaker: 1-2, 9 games (7 starts), 4.79 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 35 2/3 IP
- Held the Cincinnati Reds to a single earned run over 5 1/3 innings in his last start.
- Has allowed two runs (one earned) in two appearances against the Cubs spanning a total of 8 innings this season.
Get some action on this game or any other matchup with an MLB bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!
Cubs at Pirates: Key injuries
(Get the latest injury news here.)
Cubs
- RP Jose Quintana (back) questionable
Pirates
- OF Anthony Alford (elbow) out
- RP Keone Kela (forearm) out
- SS Cole Tucker (concussion) out
Cubs at Pirates: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 11:20 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Pirates 7, Cubs 6
Money line (ML)
The PIRATES (+140) enter this series having lost four in a row and 12 of their last 13 games but they’re a good bet to bust out of that slump Monday. The Cubs (-154) dropped the final two games of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins at Wrigley Field to snap a five-game winning streak.
Neither side of the starting pitching matchup inspires a whole lot of confidence but an edge goes to a Pirates offense ranked 15th in baseball with a .744 team OPS against left-handed pitchers. The Cubs are also ranked 15th but with a .737 team OPS against righties.
Both bullpens are middle-10 units with ERAs over 4.25. This should be a high-scoring affair and opens the door for an underdog upset by the PIRATES (+140).
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
Hedge our money line upset with PIRATES +1.5 (-121) on the run line. There’s still enough value being offered with one run of insurance.
The Cubs bullpen has been much better of late since a dreadful start to the season and enters this series ranked 12th in MLB with a 4.26 aggregate ERA. It’s the more reliable group late in the game once the starters have been pulled.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the OVER 8.5 (-110) in a poor pitching matchup and with both teams holding their own in the respective pitching splits. This should clear quite comfortably with the two starters capable of giving up the bulk of the runs. The familiarity of the offenses with their opposing pitcher adds to that likelihood.
Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Follow @EstenMcLaren on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]