Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 9/21/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Monday, September 21, 2020

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: MARQ/ATPT

Odds/Point Spread: Cubs (-160) Pirates (+140)

Josh Bell and the Pittsburgh Pirates (15-38, 5th in NL Central) host the Chicago Cubs (31-22, 1st in NL Central) at PNC Park on Monday. The line on this matchup has the Cubs coming in at -160 and the Pirates are at +140. The over/under opens at 9. The men taking the mound will be Jon Lester and JT Brubaker.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

9/20/2020 Rowan Wick RP Oblique Out for the season
9/20/2020 Brad Wieck RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/20/2020 Jose Quintana RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/20/2020 James Norwood RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/15/2020 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/15/2020 Tyler Chatwood SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 27

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

9/20/2020 Kevin Newman SS Knee Out for the season
9/17/2020 Cole Tucker CF Concussion Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/15/2020 Keone Kela RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 22
9/14/2020 Kyle Crick RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 24
9/11/2020 Tyler Bashlor RP Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
9/9/2020 Yacksel Rios RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
9/6/2020 Anthony Alford CF Elbow Out for the season
8/19/2020 Phillip Evans 3B Jaw Out for the season
8/11/2020 Clay Holmes RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
8/6/2020 Nick Burdi RP Elbow Out for the season
8/6/2020 Michael Feliz RP Forearm Out for the season
7/23/2020 Luke Maile C Finger Out for the season
6/30/2020 Kevin Kramer RF Hip Out for the season
6/30/2020 Chris Archer SP Shoulder Out for the season
2/13/2020 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 31-22 overall record this season. Lester has taken the ball for 2,588 frames and has 2,393 punchouts during his pro baseball career. His ERA is 3.59 (1,033 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.265. He has allowed 2,441 base hits (8.5 hits per nine innings) and has had 833 free passes. Lester (192-110 mark in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 3.76 and he has gone up against 10,819 hitters during his time in the majors. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.34 and they have given up 136 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .192 against the bullpen and they've struck out 196 hitters and walked 86 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.94. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 387 base hits and 197 earned runs. They have allowed 62 home runs this season, ranking them 19th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 158 batters and struck out 458. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.21 and their FIP as a unit is 4.11.

Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .226, good for 27th in the league. The Cubs hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 7.2 hits per game. Ian Happ is hitting .269 with an on-base percentage of .373. He has 47 hits this season in 175 at bats with 28 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .549 and an OPS+ of 145. Jason Heyward is hitting .297 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .414. He has totaled 38 hits and he has driven in 22 men in 128 at bats. His OPS+ is 150 while his slugging percentage is at .516. The Cubs have 376 hits, including 73 doubles and 63 home runs. Chicago has walked 198 times so far this season and they have struck out 497 times as a unit. They have left 358 men on base and have a team OPS of .716. They score 4.46 runs per contest and have scored a total of 232 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 15-38 overall mark this year. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.53 and they have given up 183 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .198 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 238 batters and walked 108 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.4 batters per nine innings. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.98. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 406 base knocks and 245 earned runs this season. They have given up 75 home runs this year, which ranks 7th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 219 hitters and struck out 463 batters. They give up a walk 4.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 4.99.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .218, good for 28th in the league. The Pirates hold a .345 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .283, which is good for 29th in baseball. They rank 28th in MLB with 7.0 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .234 with an OBP of .311. He has 40 hits this year along with 19 RBI in 171 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .374 with an OPS+ of 86. Adam Frazier is hitting .219 this season and he has an OBP of .294. He has collected 39 hits in 178 at bats while driving in 17 runs. He has an OPS+ of 67 and a slugging percentage of .320. The Pirates as a unit have 365 base hits, including 63 doubles and 46 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 149 times this year and they have struck out on 450 occasions. They have had 306 men left on base and have an OPS of .628. They have scored 3.63 runs per game and totaled 189 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs (-160)

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