Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 4/12/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Trevor Williams vs. Kyle Hendricks

Wrigley Field is the site of the matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, April 12, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Trevor Williams for the Pirates and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs.

Pittsburgh opens at +165 while Chicago opens at -175. The Pirates have a 7-3-0 over/under record and a 7-3-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 5-5-0 against the run line and have a 4-6-0 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 7-3-0 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 7-3-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 4-6-0 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 5-5-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

04/03/18 P Joe Musgrove Shoulder 10-day DL (03/30)
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)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

04/09/18 1B Anthony Rizzo Back 10-day DL (04/06)
03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (02/16)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 8-2 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Trevor Williams has a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 1.59 and a WHIP of 1.41 this year. He has 5 strikeouts over his 11.1 innings pitched and he's given up 10 hits. He's allowed 7.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.71. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.86 and they have given up 35 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the bullpen and they've struck out 30 hitters and walked 22 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.21. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 84 base hits and 44 earned runs. They have allowed 7 home runs this season, ranking them 26th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 41 batters and struck out 79. They have walked 3.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 3.73.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .286, good for 2nd in the league. The Pirates hold a .462 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .357, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 10.1 hits per game. Josh Bell is hitting .333 with an on-base percentage of .400. He has 13 hits this season in 39 at bats with 7 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .462 and an OPS+ of 143. Josh Harrison is hitting .326 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .388. He has totaled 14 hits and he has driven in 5 men in 43 at bats. His OPS+ is 134 while his slugging percentage is at .442. The Pirates have 101 hits, including 23 doubles and 11 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 39 times so far this season and they have struck out 63 times as a unit. They have left 65 men on base and have a team OPS of .819. They score 6.6 runs per contest and have scored a total of 66 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 5-5 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.09, Kyle Hendricks has a 0-0 record and a 1.55 WHIP this season. He has 6 strikeouts over the 11 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 13 hits. He allows 10.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.64. The bullpen has an earned run average of 1.49 and they have given up 26 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .173 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 44 batters and walked 16 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.09. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 78 base knocks and 33 earned runs this season. They have given up 6 home runs this year, which ranks 29th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 40 hitters and struck out 90 batters. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.23 while their FIP as a staff is 3.38.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .228, good for 24th in the league. The Cubs hold a .386 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .317 with an OBP of .451. He has 13 hits this year along with 6 RBI in 41 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .585 with an OPS+ of 190. Ben Zobrist is hitting .300 this season and he has an OBP of .382. He has collected 9 hits in 30 at bats while driving in 3 runs. He has an OPS+ of 130 and a slugging percentage of .433. The Cubs as a unit have 85 base hits, including 19 doubles and 10 homers. Chicago has walked 43 times this year and they have struck out on 101 occasions. They have had 90 men left on base and have an OPS of .709. They have scored 4.4 runs per game and totaled 44 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -175

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