Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 6/9/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Nick Kingham vs. Jon Lester

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Wrigley Field on Saturday, June 9, 2018 to take on the Chicago Cubs. The expected starting pitchers are Nick Kingham for the Pirates and Jon Lester for the Cubs.

The odds for this matchup have Pittsburgh at +167 and Chicago at -177. The Pirates have a 30-26-6 over/under mark and a 28-34-0 run line record. The Cubs are 31-28-0 against the run line and have a 25-32-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 30-26-6 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 28-34-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 25-32-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 31-28-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

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

06/07/18 SS Addison Russell Finger is "?" Friday vs Pittsburgh Pirates
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 31-31 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Nick Kingham has a 2-2 record with an earned run average of 4.03 and a WHIP of 1.00 this year. He has 30 strikeouts over his 29 innings pitched and he's given up 24 hits. He allows 7.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.46. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.45 and they have given up 209 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the bullpen and they've struck out 218 hitters and walked 86 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.29. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 540 base hits and 264 earned runs. They have allowed 70 home runs this season, ranking them 13th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 188 batters and struck out 506. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.05.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .254, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .417 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 .308. He has 53 hits this season in 224 at bats with 34 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .371 and an OPS+ of 85. Corey Dickerson is hitting .323 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .357. He has totaled 71 hits and he has driven in 32 men in 220 at bats. His OPS+ is 130 while his slugging percentage is at .491. The Pirates have 536 hits, including 105 doubles and 66 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 201 times so far this season and they have struck out 463 times as a unit. They have left 428 men on base and have a team OPS of .741. They score 4.66 runs per contest and have scored a total of 289 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 35-24 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.44, Jon Lester has a 6-2 record and a 1.16 WHIP this season. He has 61 strikeouts over the 70 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 56 hits. He allows 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.14. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.66 and they have given up 161 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .199 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 229 batters and walked 109 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.23. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 429 base knocks and 195 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 260 hitters and struck out 528 batters. They give up a walk 4.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 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 .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .344, 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 .253 with an OBP of .354. He has 49 hits this year along with 42 RBI in 194 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .448 with an OPS+ of 112. Ben Zobrist is hitting .292 this season and he has an OBP of .379. He has collected 45 hits in 154 at bats while driving in 21 runs. He has an OPS+ of 118 and a slugging percentage of .442. The Cubs as a unit have 552 base hits, including 114 doubles and 66 homers. Chicago has walked 234 times this year and they have struck out on 496 occasions. They have had 478 men left on base and have an OPS of .775. They have scored 5.17 runs per game and totaled 305 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs -177

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