Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 8/28/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Monday, August 28, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Trevor Williams vs. Mike Montgomery

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Wrigley Field on Monday, August 28, 2017 to take on the Chicago Cubs. The expected starting pitchers are Trevor Williams for the Pirates and Mike Montgomery for the Cubs.

The odds for this matchup have Pittsburgh at +160 and Chicago at -170. The Pirates have a 54-71-5 over/under mark and a 68-62-0 run line record. The Cubs are 53-75-0 against the run line and have a 61-61-6 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 54-71-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 68-62-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 61-61-6 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 53-75-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

08/27/17 C Francisco Cervelli Quad 10-day DL (08/26)
08/23/17 P Joaquin Benoit Knee 10-day DL (08/23)
08/22/17 P George Kontos Groin 10-day DL (08/20)
08/18/17 P Wade LeBlanc Quad 10-day DL (08/18)
08/16/17 RF Gregory Polanco Hamstring 10-day DL (08/13)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

08/18/17 P Justin Grimm Finger 10-day DL (08/18)
08/17/17 P Jon Lester Shoulder 10-day DL (08/17)
08/11/17 C Willson Contreras Hamstring 10-day DL (08/10)
08/04/17 SS Addison Russell Foot 10-day DL (08/03)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 62-68 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Trevor Williams has a 5-6 record with an earned run average of 4.40 and a WHIP of 1.32. He has 91 strikeouts over his 122.2 innings pitched and he's given up 121 hits. He allows 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.09. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.96 and they have given up 422 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the bullpen and they've struck out 399 hitters and walked 164 batters. 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 4.29. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,201 base hits and 556 earned runs. They have allowed 151 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 389 batters and struck out 1,002. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 4.22.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .245, good for 26th 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 game. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .280 with an on-base percentage of .371. He has 127 hits this season in 454 at bats with 73 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .491 and an OPS+ of 124. Josh Harrison is hitting .277 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .344. He has totaled 130 hits and he has driven in 47 men in 469 at bats. His OPS+ is 103 while his slugging percentage is at .439. The Pirates have 1,083 hits, including 202 doubles and 126 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 433 times so far this season and they have struck out 950 times as a unit. They have left 925 men on base and have a team OPS of .712. They score 4.23 runs per contest and have scored a total of 550 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 69-59 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.43, Mike Montgomery has a 4-6 record and a 1.27 WHIP. He has 81 strikeouts over the 102.1 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 84 hits. He allows 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.11. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.74 and they have given up 349 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 472 batters and walked 206 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 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 4.05. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,023 base knocks and 514 earned runs this season. They have given up 158 home runs this year, which ranks 17th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 450 hitters and struck out 1,122 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.27.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .252, good for 18th in the league. The Cubs hold a .441 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .289 with an OBP of .405. He has 127 hits this year along with 57 RBI in 439 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .535 with an OPS+ of 142. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .275 this season and he has an OBP of .394. He has collected 128 hits in 466 at bats while driving in 90 runs. He has an OPS+ of 136 and a slugging percentage of .526. The Cubs as a unit have 1,097 base hits, including 216 doubles and 187 homers. Chicago has walked 485 times this year and they have struck out on 1,109 occasions. They have had 906 men left on base and have an OPS of .776. They have scored 4.99 runs per game and totaled 639 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -170

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