Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Tips 9/26/2019
Thursday, September 26, 2019
PNC Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Jose Quintana vs. Joe Musgrove
PNC Park is the venue where Kevin Newman and the Pittsburgh Pirates (66-91, 5th in NL Central) will take on the Chicago Cubs (82-75, 3rd in NL Central) on Thursday. The Pirates open this matchup at +220 while the Cubs are coming in at -240. The over/under is set at 9.
The Cubs have been solid for MLB wagerers, having gone 82-75-0 SU. Pittsburgh covers 42.0% of the time, going 66-91-0 straight up.
Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Cubs have been a solid Over pick for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 72-78-7.
The Cubs cover 40.0% of the time as the visitor, having gone 30-45-0 straight up.
Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pirates cover 42.7% of the time at PNC Park, going 32-43-0 SU.
The Pirates have been an awful Under pick for over/under baseball bettors, having gone 91-60-6.
Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports
Key Chicago Cubs Injuries
9/24/2019 Javier Baez SS Thumb Probable for Sep 25
9/24/2019 Kris Bryant 3B Ankle Probable for Sep 25
9/22/2019 Cole Hamels SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 27
9/19/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/19/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Out for the season
8/22/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Out for the season
2/19/2019 Kendall Graveman SP Elbow Out for the season
Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries
9/24/2019 Elias Diaz C Knee Probable for Sep 25
9/22/2019 Starling Marte CF Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 26
9/19/2019 Josh Bell 1B Groin Probable for Sep 24
9/17/2019 Chris Archer SP Shoulder Out for the season
9/13/2019 Kyle Crick RP Finger Out for the season
9/8/2019 Jason Martin LF Shoulder Out for the season
9/4/2019 Gregory Polanco RF Shoulder Out for the season
8/29/2019 Nick Burdi RP Biceps Out for the season
8/14/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Out for the season
8/8/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Out for the season
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 82-75 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jose Quintana has a 13-8 record with an earned run average of 4.55 and a WHIP of 1.36 this season. He has 148 strikeouts over his 166 innings pitched and he's given up 179 hits. He's allowed 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.87. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.91 and they have given up 464 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the bullpen and they've struck out 538 hitters and walked 251 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 4.05. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 1,328 base hits and 630 earned runs. They have allowed 189 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 511 batters and struck out 1,398. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.23.
Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Chicago is hitting .253, good for 13th in the league. The Cubs hold a .453 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .294 with an on-base percentage of .406. He has 150 hits this season in 510 at bats with 94 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .522 and an OPS+ of 138. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .246 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .336. He has totaled 127 hits and he has driven in 91 men in 516 at bats. His OPS+ is 118 while his slugging percentage is at .527. The Cubs have 1,337 hits, including 264 doubles and 249 home runs. Chicago has walked 566 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,415 times as a unit. They have left 1,040 men on base and have a team OPS of .785. They score 5.04 runs per contest and have scored a total of 791 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Pittsburgh has a 66-91 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.49, Joe Musgrove has a 10-12 record and a 1.23 WHIP. He has 149 strikeouts over the 164.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 165 hits. He's allowing 9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.91. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.98 and they have given up 603 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 669 batters and walked 289 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.24. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,471 base knocks and 811 earned runs this season. They have given up 236 home runs this year, which ranks 8th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 559 hitters and struck out 1,395 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.80.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .265, good for 6th in the league. The Pirates hold a .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 9.2 hits per contest. Kevin Newman comes into this matchup batting .309 with an OBP of .354. He has 146 hits this year along with 59 RBI in 472 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .436 with an OPS+ of 108. Adam Frazier is hitting .281 this season and he has an OBP of .338. He has collected 150 hits in 534 at bats while driving in 49 runs. He has an OPS+ of 101 and a slugging percentage of .423. The Pirates as a unit have 1,450 base hits, including 307 doubles and 161 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 414 times this year and they have struck out on 1,181 occasions. They have had 1,071 men left on base and have an OPS of .743. They have scored 4.69 runs per game and totaled 736 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Cubs/Pirates MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates (+220)
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