Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates 9/7/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions
Thursday, September 7, 2017
PNC Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Jameson Taillon
The Chicago Cubs head to PNC Park on Thursday, September 7, 2017 to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The expected starting pitchers are Jon Lester for the Cubs and Jameson Taillon for the Pirates.
The odds for this matchup have Chicago at -139 and Pittsburgh at +129. The Cubs have a 65-66-7 over/under mark and a 59-79-0 run line record. The Pirates are 73-66-0 against the run line and have a 57-77-5 over/under record.
Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Chicago Cubs are 65-66-7 against the over/under
The Chicago Cubs are 59-79-0 against the run line
Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 57-77-5 against the over/under
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 73-66-0 against the run line
Key Chicago Cubs Injuries
09/05/17 P Jake Arrieta Hamstring left last game, doubtful for next scheduled start
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 75-63 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 9-7 record with an earned run average of 4.46 and a WHIP of 1.29. He has 159 strikeouts over his 153.1 innings pitched and he's given up 151 hits. He allows 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.99. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.94 and they have given up 386 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the bullpen and they've struck out 507 hitters and walked 221 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 1,108 base hits and 558 earned runs. They have allowed 171 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 474 batters and struck out 1,203. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.27.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Chicago is hitting .254, good for 17th in the league. The Cubs hold a .440 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 .291 with an on-base percentage of .407. He has 138 hits this season in 475 at bats with 59 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .533 and an OPS+ of 142. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .279 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .394. He has totaled 139 hits and he has driven in 100 men in 499 at bats. His OPS+ is 139 while his slugging percentage is at .533. The Cubs have 1,191 hits, including 232 doubles and 197 home runs. Chicago has walked 522 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,185 times as a unit. They have left 980 men on base and have a team OPS of .777. They score 5.04 runs per contest and have scored a total of 695 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Pittsburgh has a 67-72 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.50, Jameson Taillon has a 7-5 record and a 1.51 WHIP. He has 107 strikeouts over the 112 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 127 hits. He allows 10.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.5. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.02 and they have given up 454 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .249 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 423 batters and walked 173 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.27. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,285 base knocks and 590 earned runs this season. They have given up 156 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 418 hitters and struck out 1,069 batters. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 4.18.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .246, good for 27th in the league. The Pirates hold a .391 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .276 with an OBP of .364. He has 135 hits this year along with 75 RBI in 490 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .473 with an OPS+ of 118. Josh Bell is hitting .263 this season and he has an OBP of .342. He has collected 124 hits in 472 at bats while driving in 82 runs. He has an OPS+ of 115 and a slugging percentage of .492. The Pirates as a unit have 1,156 base hits, including 214 doubles and 136 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 457 times this year and they have struck out on 1,017 occasions. They have had 983 men left on base and have an OPS of .712. They have scored 4.22 runs per game and totaled 587 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Cubs/Pirates MLB game against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -139
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