Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 6/8/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, June 8, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Chad Kuhl vs. Mike Montgomery

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Wrigley Field on Friday, June 8, 2018 to take on the Chicago Cubs. The expected starting pitchers are Chad Kuhl for the Pirates and Mike Montgomery for the Cubs.

The odds for this matchup have Pittsburgh at +152 and Chicago at -162. The Pirates have a 29-26-6 over/under mark and a 28-33-0 run line record. The Cubs are 31-27-0 against the run line and have a 25-31-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 29-26-6 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 28-33-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 25-31-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 31-27-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

06/06/18 SS Jordy Mercer Flu is "?" Thursday vs Los Angeles Dodgers
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)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

06/06/18 SS Addison Russell Finger is "?" Thursday vs Philadelphia Phillies
05/30/18 P Carl Edwards Jr. Shoulder 10-day DL (05/30)
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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 31-30 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Chad Kuhl has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.32 this year. He has 63 strikeouts over his 67.2 innings pitched and he's given up 64 hits. He allows 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.8. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.32 and they have given up 204 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .252 against the bullpen and they've struck out 215 hitters and walked 83 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 527 base hits and 256 earned runs. They have allowed 67 home runs this season, ranking them 15th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 184 batters and struck out 496. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.01.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .254, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .416 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Josh Bell is hitting .237 with an on-base percentage of .310. He has 52 hits this season in 219 at bats with 33 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .370 and an OPS+ of 87. Corey Dickerson is hitting .324 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .359. He has totaled 70 hits and he has driven in 32 men in 216 at bats. His OPS+ is 133 while his slugging percentage is at .495. The Pirates have 527 hits, including 104 doubles and 64 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 199 times so far this season and they have struck out 455 times as a unit. They have left 422 men on base and have a team OPS of .741. They score 4.62 runs per contest and have scored a total of 282 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 34-24 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.89, Mike Montgomery has a 1-1 record and a 1.14 WHIP this season. He has 24 strikeouts over the 37 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 31 hits. He allows 7.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.84. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.67 and they have given up 159 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .201 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 223 batters and walked 107 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.1 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 3.25. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 423 base knocks and 193 earned runs this season. They have given up 55 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 251 hitters and struck out 516 batters. They give up a walk 4.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.26 while their FIP as a staff is 4.04.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .264, good for 2nd in the league. The Cubs hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.4 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .251 with an OBP of .356. He has 48 hits this year along with 40 RBI in 191 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .435 with an OPS+ of 109. Ben Zobrist is hitting .294 this season and he has an OBP of .381. He has collected 45 hits in 153 at bats while driving in 21 runs. He has an OPS+ of 119 and a slugging percentage of .444. The Cubs as a unit have 546 base hits, including 113 doubles and 65 homers. Chicago has walked 233 times this year and they have struck out on 487 occasions. They have had 475 men left on base and have an OPS of .777. They have scored 5.19 runs per game and totaled 301 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs -162

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