Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates 5/30/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Kyle Hendricks vs. Joe Musgrove

The Chicago Cubs head to PNC Park on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The expected starting pitchers are Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs and Joe Musgrove for the Pirates.

The odds for this matchup have Chicago at -125 and Pittsburgh at +115. The Cubs have a 21-27-2 over/under mark and a 25-25-0 run line record. The Pirates are 24-29-0 against the run line and have a 26-21-6 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 21-27-2 against the over/under

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

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 26-21-6 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 24-29-0 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

05/29/18 C Francisco Cervelli Illness missed last game, is "?" Tuesday vs Chicago Cubs
05/28/18 P Ivan Nova Finger 10-day DL (05/25)
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 28-22 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 3.16 and a WHIP of 1.02 this year. He has 51 strikeouts over his 62.2 innings pitched and he's given up 51 hits. He allows 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.28. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.66 and they have given up 136 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .199 against the bullpen and they've struck out 193 hitters and walked 92 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.3. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 366 base hits and 168 earned runs. They have allowed 46 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 220 batters and struck out 444. They have walked 4.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 4.03.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .260, good for 4th in the league. The Cubs hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.2 hits per game. Javier Baez is hitting .269 with an on-base percentage of .300. He has 52 hits this season in 193 at bats with 42 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .570 and an OPS+ of 127. Kris Bryant is hitting .290 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .406. He has totaled 51 hits and he has driven in 27 men in 176 at bats. His OPS+ is 151 while his slugging percentage is at .540. The Cubs have 458 hits, including 94 doubles and 57 home runs. Chicago has walked 198 times so far this season and they have struck out 412 times as a unit. They have left 398 men on base and have a team OPS of .774. They score 5.26 runs per contest and have scored a total of 263 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 28-25 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 0.00, Joe Musgrove has a 1-0 record and a 0.71 WHIP this season. He has 7 strikeouts over the 7 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 5 hits. He allows 6.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 1.11. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.05 and they have given up 182 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 195 batters and walked 69 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 460 base knocks and 218 earned runs this season. They have given up 55 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 155 hitters and struck out 440 batters. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 11th in the league. The Pirates hold a .418 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.7 hits per contest. Corey Dickerson comes into this matchup batting .311 with an OBP of .348. He has 59 hits this year along with 31 RBI in 190 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .489 with an OPS+ of 128. Josh Bell is hitting .250 this season and he has an OBP of .323. He has collected 48 hits in 192 at bats while driving in 28 runs. He has an OPS+ of 95 and a slugging percentage of .385. The Pirates as a unit have 460 base hits, including 92 doubles and 57 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 177 times this year and they have struck out on 398 occasions. They have had 367 men left on base and have an OPS of .743. They have scored 4.7 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 +115

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