Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 9/3/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Friday, September 3, 2021

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (-111) Chicago (-111)

Wrigley Field is the site where Alec Mills and the Chicago Cubs (59-75, 4th in NL Central) will play the Pittsburgh Pirates (48-85, 5th in NL Central) on Friday. The Pirates open this matchup at -111 while the Cubs are priced at -111. The over/under opens at 9. The expected starting pitchers will be Steven Brault and Alec Mills.

Pittsburgh is slugging .360 and have struck out 1,088 times, while being walked on 412 occasions. They have accrued 449 RBI's in addition to 1,021 hits over the course of the season, and their average at the plate is sitting at .233. The Pirates have hit 204 two-baggers as a team and have smacked 102 baseballs out of the park. They have tallied 475 runs scored and have an on-base percentage of .303. As a unit, the Pittsburgh Pirates are scoring 3.6 runs per game, which has them sitting at 30th in the league.

Get all of our MLB Picks

The Pirates are sitting with a team ERA of 5.06 so far this year (28th in MLB), and they have rung up 1,069 batters. They have walked 489 batters and their FIP sits at 4.69 as a team so far this year. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.19 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.41. Pirates pitchers have allowed 171 home runs in addition to 678 runs in total (27th in the league).

The Pirates bullpen have accumulated a save rate of 58.1% and stepped onto the hill in 86 save situations. The relievers have inherited 163 base runners so far this year and 33.1% of them crossed the plate. Pirates relief pitchers have entered the contest with runners on 97 times as well as having 99 appearances in high leverage situations. The Pirates have sent 458 relievers to the mound for the season. The relief pitchers have racked up 52 holds so far this year (27th in the league). They have recorded 18 saves on the campaign and have blown 13 out of their 31 chances to get a save.

The Pirates have turned 69.0% of balls hit into play into outs out of 10,272 innings, ranking them 23rd in MLB. The Pittsburgh Pirates have accumulated 3,424 putouts over the course of the season, as well as 1,128 assists and 62 errors. Their fielding rate is currently at .987 which ranks 6th in MLB, and have 930 double plays.

Brault has pitched in 337 innings and has tallied 286 K's so far in his career. Brault (12-18 career mark) has earned a FIP of 4.64 and he has gone up against 1,518 opposing batters in the majors. His ERA is 4.67 (175 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.509. He has conceded 340 base knocks (9.1 hits per nine innings) with 169 free passes.

The Chicago Cubs have compiled a team on-base percentage of .304 and a team batting average of .230 for the year. They have been called out on strikes on 1,320 occasions (1st in the league) and have tallied 1,004 base hits. Chicago has tallied 171 long balls so far this season to go along with 535 runs batted in. The Cubs hold a team slugging % of .398 and they average 4.22 runs per game (21st in baseball). They have notched 181 doubles, while taking a walk 400 times as well as scoring 565 runs.

The Chicago pitching staff have surrendered 669 runs on the season while holding a team ERA of 4.68 (608 earned runs yielded). They have given up 191 long balls and they allow 5.15 runs per 9 innings (24th in baseball). The Cubs have a team WHIP of 1.383 with a FIP of 4.79 as a pitching staff this season. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.34 (1,141 strikeouts against 487 bases on balls). They are sitting at 23rd in the league as a pitching staff in total hits conceded with 1,128.

Sitting with 110 save situations, the Cubs have accumulated 66 holds and also 10 blown saves. Chicago has had bullpen pitchers take the mound in 43 save opportunities and they have walked away with 33 saves. Their relief pitchers have taken the field 133 times in high leverage situations in addition to 138 occasions with runners on. Chicago bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 32.4% of 222 inherited base runners. They rank 1st in MLB holding a save rate of 76.7%, and they have dispatched 493 relievers to the hill so far this year.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 111 double plays and have earned a fielding percentage of .986 (10th in professional baseball). The Cubs have accrued 1,282 assists, 69 errors and have notched a total of 3,505 putouts so far this season. In their 10,515 innings on the field, the Cubs have accumulated a efficiency on defense of 69.4% (20th in baseball).

So far in his pro baseball career, Mills has allowed 200 hits while he has earned 180 strikeouts in 209 innings pitched. Mills (12-12 mark in his career) holds a 4.21 earned run average while allowing 8.6 hits per nine innings. He has conceded 98 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.275 and a FIP of 4.3. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.69 and he has gone up against 885 hitters so far in his MLB career.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Chicago (-111)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here