Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 4/23/2022 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Saturday, April 23, 2022

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

The Pittsburgh Pirates (5-7) are hitting the road to Wrigley Field on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Chicago Cubs (6-6).

As a team, the Pittsburgh Pirates are earning 3.8 runs per contest, which has them sitting at 19th in the league. They have earned 45 runs scored while holding a team OBP of .307. The Pirates have hit 14 doubles as a unit and have knocked 8 baseballs out of the park. They have tallied 41 RBI's as well as 97 base knocks for the season, and their average at the plate is at .244. Pittsburgh has a slugging rate of .354 and have struck out 110 times, while taking a walk on 37 occasions.

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The Pirates have an ERA of 4.72 over the course of the season (26th in baseball), and they have rung up 88 hitters. They have a K/BB ratio of 1.76 and the pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.36. Pirates pitchers have surrendered 14 home runs in addition to 56 runs in total (25th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 50 opposing hitters and their FIP is 4.73 as a team so far this year.

The Pirates bullpen have recorded a save percentage of 100.0% and has entered the game in 4 save situations. The relief pitchers have inherited 13 runners on the year and 23.1% of them ended up crossing the plate. Pirates bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill with runners on 10 times in addition to having 5 appearances in high leverage situations. The Pirates have dispatched 37 relief pitchers to the hill on the campaign. The relief pitchers have recorded 1 holds so far this year (30th in baseball). They have recorded 2 saves this year and have missed out on 0 of their 2 save opportunities.

The Pirates have converted 72.6% of balls hit into play into outs out of 927 innings on the field, which has them sitting at 7th in MLB. The Pittsburgh Pirates are sitting with 309 putouts for the season, in addition to 99 assists and 5 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .988 which has them sitting 12th in professional baseball, and they have twisted 8 double plays.

Thompson (3-8 win-loss mark in his career) holds a FIP of 3.93 while he has faced 355 opposing hitters during his time in the majors. He has conceded 74 base knocks (8.0 hits per nine innings) and has 33 walks. His earned run average is 3.80 (35 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.289. Thompson has taken the mound for 83 frames and has accounted for 74 K's in his career.

The Chicago Cubs have a team OBP of .347 as well as a team batting average of .263 so far this year. They have been called out on strikes on 92 occasions (23rd in baseball) and have a total of 101 base hits. Chicago has accounted for 11 home runs this season and 51 RBIs. The Cubs hold a team SLG% of .427 and they earn 4.58 runs per outing (10th in MLB). They have 26 doubles, while taking a walk 44 times and recording 55 runs.

The Chicago pitching staff have surrendered 53 runs for the season while having an ERA of 4.59 (52 earned runs surrendered). They have given up 12 homers and they relinquish 4.68 runs per 9 innings (24th in the league). The Cubs hold a team WHIP of 1.373 in addition to having a FIP of 3.90 as a staff so far this season. Their K/BB ratio is 2.49 (102 strikeouts against 41 walks). They are sitting at 23rd in the league as a pitching staff in total hits conceded with 99.

Chicago has had relievers step onto the mound in 7 save opportunities and they have come away with 5 saves. They are ranked 15th in the league holding a save rate of 71.4%, and they have dispatched 40 bullpen pitchers to the mound on the campaign. Their relievers have stepped onto the hill 15 times in high leverage situations and also on 15 occasions with base runners. Chicago relief pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 32.0% out of 25 inherited runners. Sitting with 16 save situations, the Cubs have tallied 6 holds and 2 blown saves.

In 918 innings on the diamond, the Cubs have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 67.7% (26th in baseball). The Chicago Cubs have turned 13 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .990 (8th in MLB). The Cubs have racked up 103 assists, 4 errors and have earned a total of 306 putouts so far this season.

Hendricks (83-56 career record) is the owner of a 3.39 earned run average and has surrendered 8.3 hits per 9 innings. His K/BB ratio is 3.69 and he has gone up against 5,082 opposing hitters in his career. He has allowed 468 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.149 and having a FIP of 3.7. So far in his career, Hendricks has given up 1,148 hits while totaling 1,030 punch outs in 1,241 innings pitched.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Pittsburgh

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