Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Betting Tips 8/17/2019

Saturday, August 17, 2019

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Steven Brault

PNC Park is the venue where Josh Bell and the Pittsburgh Pirates (50-70, 5th in NL Central) will take on the Chicago Cubs (64-56, 2nd in NL Central) on Saturday.

The Cubs have been less than ideal for Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 64-56-0 SU. The Pirates cover 41.7% of the time, going 50-70-0 straight up.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Cubs have been a less than ideal Over option for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 56-59-5.

The Cubs cover 38.3% of the time as the away team, having gone 23-37-0 straight up.

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pirates cover 42.9% of the time at PNC Park, going 24-32-0 SU.

The Pirates have been an awful Under option for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 70-46-4.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

8/14/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/14/2019 Jason Heyward RF Knee Probable for Aug 15
8/11/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/10/2019 Craig Kimbrel RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Aug 18
8/10/2019 Steve Cishek RP Hip Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/9/2019 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Aug 16
8/8/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 22
8/6/2019 Brandon Kintzler RP Pectoral Expected to be out until at least Aug 16
8/5/2019 Willson Contreras C Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 3
2/19/2019 Kendall Graveman SP Elbow Out for the season

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

8/14/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Out for the season
8/14/2019 Jacob Stallings C Head Expected to be out until at least Aug 16
8/12/2019 Richard Rodriguez RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/8/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Out for the season
8/8/2019 Francisco Cervelli C Concussion Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/8/2019 Nick Burdi RP Collarbone Out for the season
7/25/2019 Gregory Polanco RF Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
3/28/2019 Edgar Santana RP Elbow Out for the season
3/1/2019 Chad Kuhl SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 64-56 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 9-8 record with an earned run average of 4.43 and a WHIP of 1.41 this season. He has 129 strikeouts over his 128 innings pitched and he's given up 149 hits. He's allowed 10.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.18. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.04 and they have given up 357 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .237 against the bullpen and they've struck out 390 hitters and walked 180 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 4.1. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 1,015 base hits and 487 earned runs. They have allowed 154 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 377 batters and struck out 1,046. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.35.

Related: Get MLB picks & tips on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .254, good for 14th in the league. The Cubs hold a .451 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.6 hits per game. Kris Bryant is hitting .292 with an on-base percentage of .391. He has 125 hits this season in 428 at bats with 59 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .537 and an OPS+ of 136. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .284 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .391. He has totaled 119 hits and he has driven in 73 men in 419 at bats. His OPS+ is 129 while his slugging percentage is at .504. The Cubs have 1,027 hits, including 198 doubles and 188 home runs. Chicago has walked 435 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,080 times as a unit. They have left 808 men on base and have a team OPS of .783. They score 4.95 runs per contest and have scored a total of 594 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 50-70 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.33, Steven Brault has a 3-1 record and a 1.51 WHIP. He has 62 strikeouts over the 70.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 71 hits. He's allowing 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.45. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.77 and they have given up 454 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 492 batters and walked 205 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 5.04. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,103 base knocks and 595 earned runs this season. They have given up 174 home runs this year, which ranks 10th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 424 hitters and struck out 1,056 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 4.73.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .266, good for 6th in the league. The Pirates hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 9.3 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .285 with an OBP of .367. He has 124 hits this year along with 98 RBI in 435 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .595 with an OPS+ of 146. Starling Marte is hitting .288 this season and he has an OBP of .331. He has collected 132 hits in 458 at bats while driving in 69 runs. He has an OPS+ of 112 and a slugging percentage of .496. The Pirates as a unit have 1,117 base hits, including 244 doubles and 132 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 322 times this year and they have struck out on 927 occasions. They have had 824 men left on base and have an OPS of .753. They have scored 4.73 runs per game and totaled 568 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates

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