Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 9/24/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Monday, September 24, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jameson Taillon vs. Cole Hamels

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Wrigley Field on Monday, September 24, 2018 to take on the Chicago Cubs. The expected starting pitchers are Jameson Taillon for the Pirates and Cole Hamels for the Cubs.

The odds for this matchup have Pittsburgh at +140 and Chicago at -165. The Pirates have a 68-77-8 over/under mark and a 75-78-0 run line record. The Cubs are 77-77-0 against the run line and have a 70-82-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 68-77-8 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 75-78-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 70-82-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 77-77-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

09/22/18 P Joe Musgrove Abdominal is out for season
09/19/18 RF Gregory Polanco Knee 10-day DL (09/15)
06/29/18 P Chad Kuhl Forearm 60-day DL (06/27)
06/29/18 P Nik Turley Arm 60-day DL (06/29)
03/26/18 P A.J. Schugel Shoulder 60-day DL (03/26)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

09/22/18 SS Addison Russell Disciplinary is out indefinitely
09/18/18 P Brandon Morrow Biceps is out for season
09/06/18 RF Mark Zagunis Shoulder 60-day DL (09/04)
08/30/18 C Bobby Wilson Ankle 10-day DL (08/24)
07/21/18 P Anthony Bass Back 10-day DL (07/21)
06/27/18 P Justin Hancock Shoulder 60-day DL (06/26)
06/24/18 P Rob Zastryzny Back 10-day DL (06/24)
05/26/18 P Yu Darvish Triceps 60-day DL (05/23)
03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (02/16)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 78-75 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has a 13-9 record with an earned run average of 3.24 and a WHIP of 1.18 this year. He has 167 strikeouts over his 178 innings pitched and he's given up 167 hits. He allows 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.42. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.13 and they have given up 488 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the bullpen and they've struck out 546 hitters and walked 224 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,309 base hits and 606 earned runs. They have allowed 164 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 466 batters and struck out 1,262. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.04.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .254, good for 9th in the league. The Pirates hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Starling Marte is hitting .277 with an on-base percentage of .322. He has 148 hits this season in 535 at bats with 69 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .452 and an OPS+ of 111. Corey Dickerson is hitting .298 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .327. He has totaled 144 hits and he has driven in 53 men in 484 at bats. His OPS+ is 117 while his slugging percentage is at .469. The Pirates have 1,315 hits, including 270 doubles and 147 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 445 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,169 times as a unit. They have left 1,015 men on base and have a team OPS of .724. They score 4.28 runs per contest and have scored a total of 655 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 90-64 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.90, Cole Hamels has a 9-10 record and a 1.29 WHIP this season. He has 173 strikeouts over the 177.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 168 hits. He allows 8.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.57. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.34 and they have given up 464 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 533 batters and walked 254 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.69. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,249 base knocks and 571 earned runs this season. They have given up 152 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 592 hitters and struck out 1,265 batters. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.16.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 4th in the league. The Cubs hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .276 with an OBP of .372. He has 147 hits this year along with 95 RBI in 533 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .462 with an OPS+ of 118. Javier Baez is hitting .293 this season and he has an OBP of .329. He has collected 167 hits in 569 at bats while driving in 110 runs. He has an OPS+ of 130 and a slugging percentage of .569. The Cubs as a unit have 1,376 base hits, including 271 doubles and 161 homers. Chicago has walked 547 times this year and they have struck out on 1,319 occasions. They have had 1,160 men left on base and have an OPS of .746. They have scored 4.7 runs per game and totaled 724 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates +140

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