Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 4/9/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Monday, April 9, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Ivan Nova vs. Tyler Chatwood

Wrigley Field is the site of the matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs on Monday, April 9, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Ivan Nova for the Pirates and Tyler Chatwood for the Cubs.

Pittsburgh opens at +174 while Chicago opens at -185. The Pirates have a 6-2-0 over/under record and a 5-3-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 4-4-0 against the run line and have a 3-5-0 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 6-2-0 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 5-3-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 3-5-0 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 4-4-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

04/07/18 RF Gregory Polanco Foot is "?" Sunday vs Cincinnati Reds
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

04/07/18 1B Anthony Rizzo Back is "?" Sunday vs Milwaukee Brewers
03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (02/16)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 6-2 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Ivan Nova has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 6.10 and a WHIP of 1.45 this year. He has 7 strikeouts over his 10.1 innings pitched and he's given up 11 hits. He's allowed 9.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.14. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.67 and they have given up 32 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 28 hitters and walked 20 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine innings. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.62. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 73 base hits and 39 earned runs. They have allowed 5 home runs this season, ranking them 25th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 37 batters and struck out 64. They have walked 4.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit is 3.79.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .278, good for 2nd in the league. The Pirates hold a .441 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .357, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.8 hits per game. Josh Bell is hitting .333 with an on-base percentage of .417. He has 10 hits this season in 30 at bats with 5 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .467 and an OPS+ of 143. Josh Harrison is hitting .314 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .375. He has totaled 11 hits and he has driven in 5 men in 35 at bats. His OPS+ is 128 while his slugging percentage is at .457. The Pirates have 78 hits, including 19 doubles and 7 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 35 times so far this season and they have struck out 50 times as a unit. They have left 53 men on base and have a team OPS of .798. They score 6.62 runs per contest and have scored a total of 53 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 4-4 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 1.50, Tyler Chatwood has a 0-1 record and a 1.67 WHIP this season. He has 4 strikeouts over the 6 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 4 hits. He allows 6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 1.02 and they have given up 23 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .183 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 39 batters and walked 15 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 2.88. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 63 base knocks and 25 earned runs this season. They have given up 4 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 36 hitters and struck out 72 batters. They give up a walk 4.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 3.51.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .223, good for 24th in the league. The Cubs hold a .370 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .364 with an OBP of .500. He has 12 hits this year along with 6 RBI in 33 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .697 with an OPS+ of 226. Addison Russell is hitting .308 this season and he has an OBP of .438. He has collected 8 hits in 26 at bats while driving in 2 runs. He has an OPS+ of 138 and a slugging percentage of .423. The Cubs as a unit have 68 base hits, including 16 doubles and 7 homers. Chicago has walked 39 times this year and they have struck out on 85 occasions. They have had 77 men left on base and have an OPS of .696. They have scored 4.5 runs per game and totaled 36 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +174

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