Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Betting Tips 8/18/2019

Sunday, August 18, 2019

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jose Quintana vs. Mitch Keller

Starling Marte and the Pittsburgh Pirates (51-70, 5th in NL Central) play the Chicago Cubs (64-58, 2nd in NL Central) at PNC Park on Sunday, August 18, 2019.

The Cubs have been dicey for oddsmakers, having gone 64-58-0 SU. The Pirates are covering 42.1% of the time, going 51-70-0 straight up.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Cubs have been a solid Under option for O/U bettors, having gone 57-60-5.

The Cubs are covering 37.1% of the time as a visitor, having gone 23-39-0 straight up.

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

Pittsburgh is covering 43.9% of the time at PNC Park, going 25-32-0 SU.

The Pirates have been a strong Over option for O/U bettors, having gone 70-47-4.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

8/16/2019 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Aug 23
8/14/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/11/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/10/2019 Steve Cishek RP Hip Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/10/2019 Craig Kimbrel RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Aug 18
8/8/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 22
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
8/12/2019 Richard Rodriguez RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/8/2019 Francisco Cervelli C Concussion Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/8/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Out for the season
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 64-58 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jose Quintana has a 10-7 record with an earned run average of 4.11 and a WHIP of 1.28 this season. He has 124 strikeouts over his 135.2 innings pitched and he's given up 138 hits. He's allowed 9.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.84. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.19 and they have given up 365 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .240 against the bullpen and they've struck out 393 hitters and walked 184 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.5 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 4.11. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 1,030 base hits and 496 earned runs. They have allowed 155 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 382 batters and struck out 1,060. 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 4.33.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .253, good for 15th in the league. The Cubs hold a .450 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .283 with an on-base percentage of .390. He has 121 hits this season in 427 at bats with 75 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .506 and an OPS+ of 129. Kris Bryant is hitting .289 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .388. He has totaled 126 hits and he has driven in 59 men in 436 at bats. His OPS+ is 133 while his slugging percentage is at .530. The Cubs have 1,041 hits, including 201 doubles and 190 home runs. Chicago has walked 441 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,098 times as a unit. They have left 820 men on base and have a team OPS of .782. They score 4.93 runs per contest and have scored a total of 601 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 51-70 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 7.94, Mitch Keller has a 1-1 record and a 2.00 WHIP. He has 19 strikeouts over the 17 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 26 hits. He's allowing 13.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.34. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.75 and they have given up 455 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 493 batters and walked 207 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 5.01. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,108 base knocks and 597 earned runs this season. They have given up 174 home runs this year, which ranks 13th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 426 hitters and struck out 1,066 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.43 while their FIP as a staff is 4.70.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .265, good for 6th in the league. The Pirates hold a .427 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. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .288 with an OBP of .330. He has 133 hits this year along with 69 RBI in 462 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .494 with an OPS+ of 111. Josh Bell is hitting .283 this season and he has an OBP of .366. He has collected 124 hits in 438 at bats while driving in 98 runs. He has an OPS+ of 145 and a slugging percentage of .591. The Pirates as a unit have 1,122 base hits, including 244 doubles and 132 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 326 times this year and they have struck out on 930 occasions. They have had 829 men left on base and have an OPS of .750. They have scored 4.72 runs per game and totaled 571 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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