Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs Baseball Betting Tips and Predictions 9/13/2019

Friday, September 13, 2019

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Steven Brault vs. Jon Lester

Josh Bell and the Pittsburgh Pirates (64-82, 5th in NL Central) travel to Wrigley Field on Friday where they'll take on the Chicago Cubs (77-68, 2nd in NL Central). The moneyline on this game has the Pirates priced at +185 and the Cubs are at -200. The O/U has been set at 9.5.

The Pirates have been less than ideal for MLB wagerers, having gone 64-82-0 SU. The Cubs cover 53.1% of the time, going 77-68-0 straight up.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pirates have been a terrible Under bet for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 84-56-6.

The Pirates cover 44.6% of the time away from home, having gone 33-41-0 straight up.

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Cubs cover 66.2% of the time at Wrigley Field, going 47-24-0 SU.

The Cubs have been a hot and cold Under bet for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 65-73-7.

Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

9/11/2019 Kyle Crick RP Finger Out for the season
9/11/2019 Starling Marte CF Wrist Probable for Sep 12
9/10/2019 Chris Stratton RP Side Expected to be out until at least Sep 14
9/10/2019 Joe Musgrove SP Foot Probable for Sep 12
9/8/2019 Jason Martin LF Shoulder Out for the season
9/4/2019 Chris Archer SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
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

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

9/11/2019 Craig Kimbrel RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 16
9/11/2019 Ben Zobrist 2B Knee Probable for Sep 12
9/11/2019 Addison Russell 2B Head Expected to be out until at least Sep 13
9/10/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/9/2019 Javier Baez SS Thumb Out for the season
9/5/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Sep 13
8/22/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Out for the season
2/19/2019 Kendall Graveman SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 64-82 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Steven Brault has a 4-4 record with an earned run average of 4.13 and a WHIP of 1.41 this season. He has 82 strikeouts over his 100.1 innings pitched and he's given up 98 hits. He's allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.37. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.74 and they have given up 546 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 618 hitters and walked 258 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 5.03. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,347 base hits and 725 earned runs. They have allowed 211 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 508 batters and struck out 1,292. They have walked 3.5 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 4.68.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .266, good for 5th in the league. The Pirates hold a .428 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 4th in MLB with 9.3 hits per game. Josh Bell is hitting .277 with an on-base percentage of .368. He has 144 hits this season in 520 at bats with 116 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .573 and an OPS+ of 141. Starling Marte is hitting .295 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .342. He has totaled 159 hits and he has driven in 82 men in 539 at bats. His OPS+ is 117 while his slugging percentage is at .503. The Pirates have 1,356 hits, including 290 doubles and 158 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 397 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,105 times as a unit. They have left 1,001 men on base and have a team OPS of .752. They score 4.77 runs per contest and have scored a total of 697 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 77-68 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.51, Jon Lester has a 12-10 record and a 1.47 WHIP. He has 154 strikeouts over the 155.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 180 hits. He's allowing 10.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.34. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.03 and they have given up 428 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 484 batters and walked 227 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 4.06. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,221 base knocks and 582 earned runs this season. They have given up 181 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 469 hitters and struck out 1,270 batters. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 4.31.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .250, good for 16th in the league. The Cubs hold a .448 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 21st in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .285 with an OBP of .399. He has 137 hits this year along with 87 RBI in 480 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .513 with an OPS+ of 134. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .233 this season and he has an OBP of .324. He has collected 110 hits in 473 at bats while driving in 82 runs. He has an OPS+ of 111 and a slugging percentage of .510. The Cubs as a unit have 1,218 base hits, including 237 doubles and 228 homers. Chicago has walked 522 times this year and they have struck out on 1,316 occasions. They have had 959 men left on base and have an OPS of .778. They have scored 4.9 runs per game and totaled 711 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs (-200)

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