Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs MLB Tips 4/8/2019

Monday, April 8, 2019

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jameson Taillon vs. Jon Lester

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Monday, April 8, 2019 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Jameson Taillon for the Pirates and Jon Lester for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +124 and Chicago at -134. The Pirates have a 3-4-0 over/under record and a 3-4-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 2-6-0 against the run line and have a 7-1-0 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 3-4-0 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 3-4-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 7-1-0 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 2-6-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

04/05/19 P Kyle Crick Triceps 10-day IL (04/04)
04/04/19 LF Corey Dickerson Shoulder 10-day IL (04/04)
03/30/19 P Dovydas Neverauskas Oblique 10-day IL (03/25)
03/30/19 P Edgar Santana Elbow 60-day IL (03/30); is out for season
03/28/19 C Elias Diaz Illness 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 1B Jose Osuna Neck 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 RF Lonnie Chisenhall Finger 10-day IL (03/28)
03/25/19 P Chad Kuhl Elbow 60-day IL (03/01)
03/25/19 RF Gregory Polanco Shoulder is out indefinitely

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

04/06/19 P Mike Montgomery Back 10-day IL (04/05)
03/30/19 P Xavier Cedeno Wrist 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 SS Addison Russell Suspension 29 game suspension - eligible to return May 1st
03/25/19 P Brandon Morrow Elbow is out indefinitely
03/25/19 P Kendall Graveman Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Tony Barnette Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 4-3 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 3.46 and a WHIP of 0.77 this season. He has 9 strikeouts over his 13 innings pitched and he's given up 8 hits. He's allowed 5.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.02. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.75 and they have given up 16 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .180 against the bullpen and they've struck out 33 hitters and walked 11 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 5.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 2.45. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 42 base hits and 18 earned runs. They have allowed 7 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 21 batters and struck out 69. They have walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 0.96 and their FIP as a unit is 3.37.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .234, good for 19th in the league. The Pirates hold a .351 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.0 hits per game. Josh Bell is hitting .269 with an on-base percentage of .333. He has 7 hits this season in 26 at bats with 6 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .462 and an OPS+ of 105. Adam Frazier is hitting .308 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .400. He has totaled 8 hits and he has driven in 2 men in 26 at bats. His OPS+ is 116 while his slugging percentage is at .423. The Pirates have 56 hits, including 14 doubles and 4 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 32 times so far this season and they have struck out 53 times as a unit. They have left 59 men on base and have a team OPS of .682. They score 3.86 runs per contest and have scored a total of 27 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 2-6 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.00, Jon Lester has a 1-0 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 10 strikeouts over the 12 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 10 hits. He's allowing 7.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.78. The bullpen has an earned run average of 9.51 and they have given up 38 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .309 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 33 batters and walked 24 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 11.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 30th in the league in team earned run average at 7.87. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 85 base knocks and 58 earned runs this season. They have given up 19 home runs this year, which ranks 3rd in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 49 hitters and struck out 65 batters. They give up a walk 6.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 2.02 while their FIP as a staff is 6.93.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .307, good for 1st in the league. The Cubs hold a .519 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .399, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 11.3 hits per contest. Jason Heyward comes into this matchup batting .370 with an OBP of .419. He has 10 hits this year along with 8 RBI in 27 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .704 with an OPS+ of 185. Willson Contreras is hitting .389 this season and he has an OBP of .560. He has collected 7 hits in 18 at bats while driving in 5 runs. He has an OPS+ of 256 and a slugging percentage of .833. The Cubs as a unit have 90 base hits, including 14 doubles and 16 homers. Chicago has walked 42 times this year and they have struck out on 71 occasions. They have had 66 men left on base and have an OPS of .918. They have scored 7.5 runs per game and totaled 60 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs -134

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