Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates 9/4/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Monday, September 4, 2017

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jake Arrieta vs. Chad Kuhl

The Chicago Cubs head to PNC Park on Monday, September 4, 2017 to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The expected starting pitchers are Jake Arrieta for the Cubs and Chad Kuhl for the Pirates.

The odds for this matchup have Chicago at -188 and Pittsburgh at +177. The Cubs have a 63-64-7 over/under mark and a 58-76-0 run line record. The Pirates are 69-66-0 against the run line and have a 56-74-5 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 63-64-7 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 58-76-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 56-74-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 69-66-0 against the run line

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

09/01/17 P Jon Lester Shoulder 10-day DL (08/17) - expected to start Saturday vs. Atlanta Braves
08/11/17 C Willson Contreras Hamstring 10-day DL (08/10)
08/04/17 SS Addison Russell Foot 10-day DL (08/03)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

08/29/17 LF Adam Frazier Hamstring 10-day DL (08/28)
08/27/17 C Francisco Cervelli Quad 10-day DL (08/26)
08/22/17 P George Kontos Groin 10-day DL (08/20)
08/16/17 RF Gregory Polanco Hamstring 10-day DL (08/13)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 74-60 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta has a 14-8 record with an earned run average of 3.36 and a WHIP of 1.18. He has 153 strikeouts over his 158 innings pitched and he's given up 135 hits. He allows 7.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.86. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.65 and they have given up 359 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .214 against the bullpen and they've struck out 487 hitters and walked 209 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.01. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 1,076 base hits and 537 earned runs. They have allowed 167 home runs this season, ranking them 16th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 464 batters and struck out 1,181. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 4.26.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .255, good for 16th in the league. The Cubs hold a .443 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .338, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Kris Bryant is hitting .289 with an on-base percentage of .407. He has 134 hits this season in 464 at bats with 59 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .530 and an OPS+ of 142. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .283 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .399. He has totaled 139 hits and he has driven in 100 men in 491 at bats. His OPS+ is 143 while his slugging percentage is at .542. The Cubs have 1,171 hits, including 228 doubles and 196 home runs. Chicago has walked 515 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,162 times as a unit. They have left 959 men on base and have a team OPS of .781. They score 5.12 runs per contest and have scored a total of 691 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 63-72 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.54, Chad Kuhl has a 6-10 record and a 1.47 WHIP. He has 117 strikeouts over the 134.2 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 137 hits. He allows 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.03. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.11 and they have given up 447 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 413 batters and walked 170 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.8 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.34. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,260 base knocks and 587 earned runs this season. They have given up 156 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 411 hitters and struck out 1,048 batters. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 4.22.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 27th in the league. The Pirates hold a .388 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .274 with an OBP of .364. He has 131 hits this year along with 74 RBI in 478 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .475 with an OPS+ of 118. Josh Harrison is hitting .272 this season and he has an OBP of .339. He has collected 132 hits in 486 at bats while driving in 47 runs. He has an OPS+ of 101 and a slugging percentage of .432. The Pirates as a unit have 1,127 base hits, including 209 doubles and 130 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 446 times this year and they have struck out on 994 occasions. They have had 965 men left on base and have an OPS of .708. They have scored 4.18 runs per game and totaled 568 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Cubs/Pirates MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +177

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