Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 9/26/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Ivan Nova vs. Jose Quintana

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Ivan Nova for the Pirates and Jose Quintana for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +155 and Chicago at -180. The Pirates have a 69-78-8 over/under record and a 76-79-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 78-78-0 against the run line and have a 70-84-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 69-78-8 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 76-79-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 70-84-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 78-78-0 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 79-76 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Ivan Nova has a 9-9 record with an earned run average of 4.01 and a WHIP of 1.25 this season. He has 111 strikeouts over his 157 innings pitched and he's given up 163 hits. He's allowed 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.52. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.16 and they have given up 495 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the bullpen and they've struck out 552 hitters and walked 231 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.7 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 4.03. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,328 base hits and 618 earned runs. They have allowed 168 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 478 batters and struck out 1,275. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.07.

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 .317, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Starling Marte is hitting .276 with an on-base percentage of .321. He has 148 hits this season in 537 at bats with 69 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .451 and an OPS+ of 111. Corey Dickerson is hitting .296 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .326. He has totaled 144 hits and he has driven in 53 men in 487 at bats. His OPS+ is 116 while his slugging percentage is at .466. The Pirates have 1,328 hits, including 274 doubles and 150 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 451 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,187 times as a unit. They have left 1,024 men on base and have a team OPS of .723. They score 4.3 runs per contest and have scored a total of 666 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 91-65 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.11, Jose Quintana has a 13-11 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 150 strikeouts over the 164.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 152 hits. He's allowing 8.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.44. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.35 and they have given up 466 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 538 batters and walked 257 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8 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 3.67. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,260 base knocks and 576 earned runs this season. They have given up 154 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 597 hitters and struck out 1,282 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 4.15.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .259, good for 3rd in the league. The Cubs hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.0 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .278 with an OBP of .375. He has 150 hits this year along with 96 RBI in 540 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .463 with an OPS+ of 119. Javier Baez is hitting .292 this season and he has an OBP of .327. He has collected 169 hits in 578 at bats while driving in 110 runs. He has an OPS+ of 129 and a slugging percentage of .566. The Cubs as a unit have 1,398 base hits, including 275 doubles and 163 homers. Chicago has walked 554 times this year and they have struck out on 1,335 occasions. They have had 1,182 men left on base and have an OPS of .746. They have scored 4.69 runs per game and totaled 731 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs -180

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