Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 5/25/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Monday, May 25, 2026

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (-145) Pittsburgh (+125)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (26-26) will compete against the Chicago Cubs (29-23) at PNC Park on Monday. The moneyline on this game has Chicago at -145 and Pittsburgh is sitting at +125. The over/under comes in at 8.5. The pitchers taking the mound will be Ben Brown and Carmen Mlodzinski.

Chicago has a slugging rate of .390 and have been called out on strikes 432 times, while drawing a walk on 236 occasions. They have recorded 229 RBI's in addition to 417 base knocks so far this year, and their batting average is sitting at .238. The Cubs have hit 77 doubles as a team and have hit 59 balls out of the stadium. They have earned 248 runs scored while holding a team on-base percentage of .335. As a squad, the Chicago Cubs are notching 4.8 runs per game, which has them sitting at 8th in MLB.

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The Cubs hold a team earned run average of 4.05 so far this season (15th in MLB), and their staff has struck out 417 hitters. Cubs pitchers have conceded 70 home runs and 225 total runs (13th in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 160 hitters and their FIP comes in at 4.38 as a team this year. Chicago has yielded 408 base hits (7.9 per 9 innings) in addition to 208 earned runs. They have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.61 and their pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.23.

The Cubs have dispatched 157 relief pitchers to the mound for the season. The relief pitchers have inherited 71 runners for the year and 28.2% of those players earned a run for their team. The bullpen have racked up 11 holds for the season (30th in the league). Cubs bullpen pitchers have entered the contest with opponents on base 50 times in addition to having 50 appearances in high leverage situations. They have accumulated 10 saves this season and have not converted 7 out of their 17 save opportunities. The Cubs bullpen have accumulated a save rate of 58.8% and have come into the game in 31 save situations.

The Chicago Cubs have accumulated 1,387 putouts over the course of the season, in addition to 492 assists and 25 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .987 which ranks 15th in the majors, and have a total of 35 double plays. The Cubs have transformed 72.1% of balls hit into play into outs in their 4,161 innings, which ranks them 4th in the majors.

Brown (7-13 win-loss record in his career) sits with a FIP of 4.49 and he has gone up against 848 hitters in the majors. He has given up 188 base knocks (8.5 hits per 9 innings) and has had 63 free passes. His ERA is 4.56 (101 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.259. Brown has taken the hill for 199 frames and has accounted for 225 K's during his pro baseball career.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a team on-base percentage of .332 and a batting average of .251 for the season. They have struck out on 482 occasions (3rd in the league) and have tallied 453 hits. Pittsburgh has compiled 52 home runs this year and 241 runs batted in. The Pirates hold a team slugging percentage of .385 and they are scoring 4.85 runs per game (6th in the league). They have put up 75 two-baggers, while walking 201 times and earning 252 runs.

The Pittsburgh pitching staff have allowed 233 runs for the season while having an ERA of 3.90 (204 earned runs relinquished). They have surrendered 46 HR's and they relinquish 4.45 runs per 9 innings (15th in the league). The Pirates hold a team WHIP of 1.235 and have a FIP of 3.76 as a unit for the year. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 8.90 (464 strikeouts against 184 bases on balls). They rank 9th in MLB as a pitching staff in total hits surrendered with 398.

Pittsburgh relievers have an inherited score rate of 35.5% out of 62 inherited base runners. Their relief pitchers have taken the field 54 times in high leverage situations and also on 51 occasions with runners on base. Sitting with 50 save situations, the Pirates have accumulated 29 holds in addition to 12 blown saves. They are ranked 29th in baseball with a save percentage of 40.0%, and they have sent 175 bullpen pitchers onto the field on the year.

Out of their 4,245 innings played, the Pirates have earned a defensive efficiency of 70.7% (10th in MLB). The Pittsburgh Pirates have turned 39 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .985 (23rd in professional baseball). The Pirates have 436 assists, 29 errors and have earned 1,415 putouts this season.

Mlodzinski (17-19 career record) has earned a 3.41 ERA while allowing 8.6 hits per 9 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.63 and he has faced 996 hitters so far in his MLB career. He has conceded 89 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.297 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.4. In his career, Mlodzinski has given up 224 base hits while accumulating 213 punch outs in 235 frames.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (+125)

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