Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 9/27/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Trevor Williams vs. Jon Lester

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Wrigley Field on Thursday, September 27, 2018 to take on the Chicago Cubs. The expected starting pitchers are Trevor Williams for the Pirates and Jon Lester for the Cubs.

The odds for this matchup have Pittsburgh at +140 and Chicago at -165. The Pirates have a 69-79-8 over/under mark and a 77-79-0 run line record. The Cubs are 78-79-0 against the run line and have a 70-85-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 69-79-8 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 77-79-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 70-85-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 78-79-0 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

09/25/18 3B Kris Bryant Wrist left last game, is not in the starting lineup Wednesday vs Pittsburgh Pirates
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 80-76 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Trevor Williams has a 14-9 record with an earned run average of 3.04 and a WHIP of 1.15 this year. He has 122 strikeouts over his 165.2 innings pitched and he's given up 138 hits. He allows 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.87. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.13 and they have given up 496 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the bullpen and they've struck out 553 hitters and walked 231 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 1,333 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 480 batters and struck out 1,285. 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 4.06.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .254, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .407 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. Corey Dickerson is hitting .299 with an on-base percentage of .329. He has 147 hits this season in 492 at bats with 53 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .470 and an OPS+ of 117. Starling Marte is hitting .276 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .323. He has totaled 149 hits and he has driven in 69 men in 540 at bats. His OPS+ is 111 while his slugging percentage is at .452. The Pirates have 1,338 hits, including 278 doubles and 151 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 458 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,196 times as a unit. They have left 1,036 men on base and have a team OPS of .724. They score 4.31 runs per contest and have scored a total of 672 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 91-66 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.43, Jon Lester has a 17-6 record and a 1.32 WHIP this season. He has 146 strikeouts over the 175.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 171 hits. He allows 8.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.34 and they have given up 469 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 544 batters and walked 263 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 3.69. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,270 base knocks and 582 earned runs this season. They have given up 155 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 604 hitters and struck out 1,291 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 .411 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Javier Baez comes into this matchup batting .294 with an OBP of .328. He has 171 hits this year along with 110 RBI in 582 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .565 with an OPS+ of 129. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .278 this season and he has an OBP of .376. He has collected 151 hits in 543 at bats while driving in 96 runs. He has an OPS+ of 120 and a slugging percentage of .464. The Cubs as a unit have 1,403 base hits, including 276 doubles and 163 homers. Chicago has walked 556 times this year and they have struck out on 1,345 occasions. They have had 1,189 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They have scored 4.66 runs per game and totaled 731 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +140

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