Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates 9/5/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Kyle Hendricks vs. Steven Brault

The Chicago Cubs head to PNC Park on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The expected starting pitchers are Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs and Steven Brault for the Pirates.

The odds for this matchup have Chicago at -220 and Pittsburgh at +180. The Cubs have a 64-65-7 over/under mark and a 59-77-0 run line record. The Pirates are 71-66-0 against the run line and have a 56-76-5 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 64-65-7 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 59-77-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 56-76-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 71-66-0 against the run line

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

09/03/17 2B Javier Baez Head left last game, is not expected to be in the starting lineup Monday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
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

09/03/17 2B Josh Harrison Hand 10-day DL (09/03)
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 75-61 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has a 6-4 record with an earned run average of 3.32 and a WHIP of 1.24. He has 94 strikeouts over his 108.1 innings pitched and he's given up 99 hits. He allows 8.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.1. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.78 and they have given up 371 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the bullpen and they've struck out 497 hitters and walked 216 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 1,084 base hits and 542 earned runs. They have allowed 167 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 468 batters and struck out 1,187. 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 4.25.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .254, good for 17th in the league. The Cubs hold a .442 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Kris Bryant is hitting .287 with an on-base percentage of .406. He has 134 hits this season in 467 at bats with 59 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .527 and an OPS+ of 141. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .281 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .397. He has totaled 139 hits and he has driven in 100 men in 495 at bats. His OPS+ is 140 while his slugging percentage is at .537. The Cubs have 1,176 hits, including 228 doubles and 197 home runs. Chicago has walked 518 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,172 times as a unit. They have left 964 men on base and have a team OPS of .780. They score 5.09 runs per contest and have scored a total of 692 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 65-72 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.93, Steven Brault has a 0-0 record and a 1.90 WHIP. He has 9 strikeouts over the 13.2 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 20 hits. He allows 13.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.35. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.07 and they have given up 451 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 418 batters and walked 173 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 4.31. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,270 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 414 hitters and struck out 1,056 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 4.20.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, 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 26th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .272 with an OBP of .363. He has 131 hits this year along with 74 RBI in 481 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .472 with an OPS+ of 117. Josh Bell is hitting .261 this season and he has an OBP of .340. He has collected 121 hits in 464 at bats while driving in 78 runs. He has an OPS+ of 114 and a slugging percentage of .487. The Pirates as a unit have 1,132 base hits, including 210 doubles and 132 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 451 times this year and they have struck out on 1,001 occasions. They have had 972 men left on base and have an OPS of .708. They have scored 4.17 runs per game and totaled 571 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -220

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