Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 5/8/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Saturday, May 8, 2021

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee Sports Network

Wrigley Field is the venue where Trevor Williams and the Chicago Cubs (15-16, 3rd in NL Central) will play the Pittsburgh Pirates (13-17, 5th in NL Central) on Saturday.

Pittsburgh has a slugging percentage of .347 and have been rung up 257 times, while taking a walk on 100 occasions. They have recorded 102 runs batted in in addition to 221 base knocks this season, while their batting average sits at .225. The Pirates have earned 51 two-baggers as a team and have hit 21 baseballs out of the park. They have tallied 106 runs while having a team on-base percentage of .304. As a team, the Pittsburgh Pirates are putting up 3.5 runs per outing, which is 27th in baseball.

The Pirates have compiled a team earned run average of 4.31 this season (21st in baseball), and the staff has rung up 255 batters. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.45 and their pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.26. Pirates pitchers have conceded 33 long balls in addition to 135 runs in total (16th in the league). They have walked 104 batters and their FIP sits at 4.16 as a squad for the season.

Pirates bullpen pitchers have come into the game with players on base 23 times as well as having 23 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have 17 holds over the course of the season (13th in MLB). The Pirates bullpen have a save percentage of 83.3% and has come into the game in 25 save situations. They have 5 saves on the campaign and have not converted 1 of 6 save opportunities. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 37 runners so far this season and 21.6% of those runners crossed home plate. The Pirates have sent 106 relievers to the mound for the season.

The Pirates have converted 70.5% of balls in play into outs out of 2,313 innings on the diamond, ranking them 14th in MLB. The Pittsburgh Pirates have notched a total of 771 putouts this year, in addition to 276 assists and 22 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .979 which has them ranked 25th in the majors, and have a total of 222 double plays.

Crowe has taken the ball for 18 frames and is sitting with 15 punch outs in his MLB career. His ERA is 8.00 (16 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 2.111. He has given up 22 hits (11.0 hits per nine innings) with 16 walks. Crowe (0-3 career win-loss record) has a FIP of 8.81 while he has faced 90 batters during his time in the majors.

The Cubs have a team slugging percentage of .406 and they are recording 4.71 runs per game (9th in MLB). They have tallied 44 doubles, while taking a walk 119 times and notching 146 runs. Chicago has recorded 41 home runs this year to go along with 140 RBIs. They have struck out on 314 occasions (6th in the league) and have tallied 224 base hits. The Chicago Cubs have earned an OBP of .315 in addition to a team batting average of .224 for the year.

The Cubs hold a team WHIP of 1.436 and have a FIP of 4.81 as a unit so far this year. They currently have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.20 (293 strikeouts vs 133 bases on balls). They rank 23rd in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 259. They have given up 44 homers and they concede 5.01 runs per 9 innings (23rd in baseball). The Chicago pitching staff have surrendered 152 runs on the season while holding an ERA of 4.71 (143 earned runs relinquished).

Chicago relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 29.0% of 62 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers have taken the field 39 times in high leverage situations in addition to 39 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 28 save situations, the Cubs have earned 18 holds and 3 blown saves. They are currently ranked 12th in MLB with a save percentage of 66.7%, and they have dispatched 127 relief pitchers to the mound this year. Chicago has had relief pitchers take the mound in 9 save opportunities and they have come away with 6 saves.

The Chicago Cubs have twisted 28 double plays and have a fielding rate of .986 (7th in MLB). The Cubs have recorded 289 assists, 16 errors and have notched a total of 819 putouts over the course of the season. Out of their 2,457 innings on the diamond, the Cubs have a defensive efficiency of 68.6% (24th in baseball).

In his MLB career, Williams has given up 571 hits and he has 445 strikeouts in 561 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 281 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.357 and having a FIP of 4.6. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.33 and he has faced 2,418 hitters so far in his career. Williams (33-39 career record) is the owner of a 4.50 earned run average while giving up 9.1 hits per nine innings.

Who will win tonight's baseball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago

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