Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs MLB Picks & Predictions 9/15/2019
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Wrigley Field
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Trevor Williams vs. Jose Quintana
Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs (79-68, 2nd in NL Central) play the Pittsburgh Pirates (65-83, 5th in NL Central) at Wrigley Field on Sunday, September 15, 2019. The Pirates open this game at +233 while the Cubs are priced at -255. The total has been set at 8.5.
The Pirates have been solid for Las Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 65-83-0 SU. The Cubs cover 53.7% of the time, going 79-68-0 straight up.
Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends
The Pirates have been a rough Under pick for O/U wagerers, having gone 85-57-6.
Pittsburgh covers 44.7% of the time as the visitor, having gone 34-42-0 straight up.
Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
Chicago covers 66.7% of the time at Wrigley Field, going 48-24-0 SU.
The Cubs have been a dicey Under pick for O/U wagerers, having gone 66-74-7.
Related: Gambling 101 - MLB Betting Tips - Tony George of Doc's Sports
Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries
9/13/2019 Josh Bell 1B Groin Probable for Sep 14
9/13/2019 Kyle Crick RP Finger Out for the season
9/13/2019 Starling Marte CF Wrist Probable for Sep 14
9/12/2019 Chris Archer SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/10/2019 Chris Stratton RP Side Expected to be out until at least Sep 14
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
Key Chicago Cubs Injuries
9/13/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
9/13/2019 Addison Russell 2B Head Probable for Sep 14
9/13/2019 Craig Kimbrel RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
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
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 65-83 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Trevor Williams has a 7-6 record with an earned run average of 5.21 and a WHIP of 1.41 this season. He has 102 strikeouts over his 131.1 innings pitched and he's given up 148 hits. He's allowed 10.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.72. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.81 and they have given up 558 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen and they've struck out 631 hitters and walked 267 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 5.1. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,371 base hits and 744 earned runs. They have allowed 217 home runs this season, ranking them 11th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 520 batters and struck out 1,314. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.44 and their FIP as a unit is 4.72.
Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .267, good for 5th in the league. The Pirates hold a .429 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 .367. He has 146 hits this season in 527 at bats with 116 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .569 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 118 while his slugging percentage is at .503. The Pirates have 1,377 hits, including 295 doubles and 159 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 400 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,118 times as a unit. They have left 1,012 men on base and have a team OPS of .753. They score 4.79 runs per contest and have scored a total of 709 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Chicago has a 79-68 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.15, Jose Quintana has a 13-8 record and a 1.30 WHIP. He has 143 strikeouts over the 160.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 166 hits. He's allowing 9.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.87. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.01 and they have given up 433 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 496 batters and walked 229 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 4.04. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,239 base knocks and 588 earned runs this season. They have given up 181 home runs this year, which ranks 27th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 475 hitters and struck out 1,298 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 4.27.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .251, good for 15th in the league. The Cubs hold a .451 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .286 with an OBP of .399. He has 140 hits this year along with 91 RBI in 489 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .515 with an OPS+ of 133. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .233 this season and he has an OBP of .325. He has collected 112 hits in 480 at bats while driving in 82 runs. He has an OPS+ of 110 and a slugging percentage of .508. The Cubs as a unit have 1,242 base hits, including 241 doubles and 233 homers. Chicago has walked 534 times this year and they have struck out on 1,336 occasions. They have had 975 men left on base and have an OPS of .782. They have scored 4.98 runs per game and totaled 732 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Pirates/Cubs MLB game against the spread?
Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates (+233)
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