Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs Baseball Betting Tips and Predictions 7/12/2019
Friday, July 12, 2019
Wrigley Field
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Chris Archer vs. Yu Darvish
Wrigley Field is the site where Javier Baez and the Chicago Cubs (47-43, 1st in NL Central) will play the Pittsburgh Pirates (44-45, 4th in NL Central) on Friday. The Pirates open this game at +135 while the Cubs are coming in at -165. The over/under has been set at 9.5.
The Pirates have been a dicey play for bettors, having gone 44-45-0 SU. Chicago covers 52.2% of the time, going 47-43-0 straight up. The Cubs have been great for baseball bettors as favorites, going 38-24-0 SU. Pittsburgh has gone 29-34-0 straight up as the underdog, so they cover 46.0% of the time.
Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pirates have been a rough Under play for over/under wagerers, having gone 53-33-3.
The Pirates cover 47.8% of the time away from home, having gone 22-24-0 straight up.
Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Cubs cover 64.4% of the time at Wrigley Field, going 29-16-0 SU.
The Cubs have been a decent Over play for over/under wagerers, having gone 45-43-2.
Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries
7/10/2019 Erik Gonzalez SS Collarbone Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
7/8/2019 Corey Dickerson LF Groin Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
7/8/2019 Steven Brault SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 16
7/8/2019 Francisco Cervelli C Concussion Expected to be out until at least Jul 22
7/3/2019 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 2
6/26/2019 Rookie Davis RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
6/25/2019 Nick Burdi RP Collarbone Out for the season
6/24/2019 Gregory Polanco RF Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
6/19/2019 Lonnie Chisenhall RF Calf Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
6/15/2019 Keone Kela RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
3/28/2019 Edgar Santana RP Elbow Out for the season
3/1/2019 Chad Kuhl SP Elbow Out for the season
Key Chicago Cubs Injuries
7/8/2019 Carl Edwards RP Back Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
7/8/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Jul 19
7/4/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
7/3/2019 Cole Hamels SP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
6/24/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 12
2/19/2019 Kendall Graveman SP Elbow Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Pirates have a 44-45 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Chris Archer has a 3-6 record with an earned run average of 5.49 and a WHIP of 1.48 this season. He has 88 strikeouts over his 78.2 innings pitched and he's given up 75 hits. He's allowed 8.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.91. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.93 and they have given up 341 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .254 against the bullpen and they've struck out 372 hitters and walked 164 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.91. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 815 base hits and 434 earned runs. They have allowed 124 home runs this season, ranking them 14th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 323 batters and struck out 791. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 4.61.
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Hitting Statistics
As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .271, good for 3rd in the league. The Pirates hold a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.5 hits per game. Melky Cabrera is hitting .312 with an on-base percentage of .348. He has 72 hits this season in 231 at bats with 31 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .459 and an OPS+ of 111. Josh Bell is hitting .302 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .376. He has totaled 102 hits and he has driven in 84 men in 338 at bats. His OPS+ is 162 while his slugging percentage is at .648. The Pirates have 848 hits, including 185 doubles and 98 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 242 times so far this season and they have struck out 700 times as a unit. They have left 624 men on base and have a team OPS of .764. They score 4.85 runs per contest and have scored a total of 432 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Chicago has a 47-43 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.01, Yu Darvish has a 2-4 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 111 strikeouts over the 97 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 81 hits. He's allowing 7.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.29. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.20 and they have given up 265 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .239 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 293 batters and walked 145 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 751 base knocks and 364 earned runs this season. They have given up 110 home runs this year, which ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 310 hitters and struck out 771 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.34.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .254, good for 16th in the league. The Cubs hold a .452 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Javier Baez comes into this matchup batting .289 with an OBP of .324. He has 103 hits this year along with 62 RBI in 356 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .556 with an OPS+ of 122. Willson Contreras is hitting .286 this season and he has an OBP of .381. He has collected 74 hits in 259 at bats while driving in 52 runs. He has an OPS+ of 139 and a slugging percentage of .556. The Cubs as a unit have 770 base hits, including 152 doubles and 140 homers. Chicago has walked 345 times this year and they have struck out on 812 occasions. They have had 611 men left on base and have an OPS of .788. They have scored 5.06 runs per game and totaled 455 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Pirates/Cubs MLB game against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -165
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