Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates 5/29/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Ivan Nova

The Chicago Cubs head to PNC Park on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The expected starting pitchers are Jon Lester for the Cubs and Ivan Nova for the Pirates.

The odds for this matchup have Chicago at -145 and Pittsburgh at +135. The Cubs have a 21-26-2 over/under mark and a 24-25-0 run line record. The Pirates are 24-28-0 against the run line and have a 26-20-6 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 21-26-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 24-25-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 26-20-6 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 24-28-0 against the run line

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

05/26/18 P Yu Darvish Triceps 10-day DL (05/23)
04/21/18 P Eddie Butler Groin 10-day DL (04/20)
03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (02/16)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

05/28/18 C Francisco Cervelli Undisclosed is "?" Monday vs Chicago Cubs
03/26/18 P A.J. Schugel Shoulder 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Nick Burdi Elbow 60-day DL (02/20)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 27-22 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 2.37 and a WHIP of 1.19 this year. He has 48 strikeouts over his 57 innings pitched and he's given up 46 hits. He allows 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.11. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.71 and they have given up 136 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .202 against the bullpen and they've struck out 191 hitters and walked 92 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.37. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 364 base hits and 168 earned runs. They have allowed 46 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 220 batters and struck out 437. They have walked 4.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.08.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .258, good for 5th in the league. The Cubs hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.1 hits per game. Javier Baez is hitting .266 with an on-base percentage of .298. He has 50 hits this season in 188 at bats with 42 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .574 and an OPS+ of 127. Kris Bryant is hitting .292 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .411. He has totaled 50 hits and he has driven in 27 men in 171 at bats. His OPS+ is 156 while his slugging percentage is at .550. The Cubs have 446 hits, including 94 doubles and 55 home runs. Chicago has walked 193 times so far this season and they have struck out 405 times as a unit. They have left 389 men on base and have a team OPS of .771. They score 5.22 runs per contest and have scored a total of 256 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 28-24 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.96, Ivan Nova has a 2-5 record and a 1.35 WHIP this season. He has 47 strikeouts over the 61.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 73 hits. He allows 10.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.28. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 174 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 193 batters and walked 68 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 448 base knocks and 212 earned runs this season. They have given up 53 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 150 hitters and struck out 433 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.80.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 6th in the league. The Pirates hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Corey Dickerson comes into this matchup batting .310 with an OBP of .348. He has 58 hits this year along with 31 RBI in 187 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .492 with an OPS+ of 130. Josh Bell is hitting .254 this season and he has an OBP of .327. He has collected 48 hits in 189 at bats while driving in 28 runs. He has an OPS+ of 98 and a slugging percentage of .392. The Pirates as a unit have 458 base hits, including 92 doubles and 57 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 177 times this year and they have struck out on 391 occasions. They have had 366 men left on base and have an OPS of .752. They have scored 4.79 runs per game and totaled 249 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates +135

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