Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 5/28/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (-182) Pittsburgh (+150)

The Chicago Cubs (29-26) are en route to PNC Park on Thursday where they will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (29-26). The moneyline on this game has Chicago at -182 and Pittsburgh opens at +150. The over/under has been set at 8. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Colin Rea and Paul Skenes.

As a squad, the Chicago Cubs are notching 4.6 runs per game, which puts them at 9th in the league. They have racked up 255 runs scored while holding a team on-base percentage of .333. The Cubs have hit 80 doubles as a unit and have hit 61 baseballs out of the park. They have tallied 235 RBI's and 437 base knocks on the season, and their team batting average sits at .236. Chicago is slugging .385 and have struck out 453 times, while drawing a walk on 248 occasions.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.66 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.24. Cubs pitchers have yielded 76 long balls and 247 total runs (18th in the league). Chicago has relinquished 440 hits (8.1 per 9 innings) in addition to 229 earned runs. The Cubs hold a team earned run average of 4.23 for the season (19th in baseball), and they have rung up 442 hitters. They have walked 166 opposing batters and their FIP is 4.41 as a team on the season.

The Cubs relief pitchers have earned a save percentage of 58.8% and have entered the game in 31 save situations. They have 10 saves for the year and have missed out on 7 of 17 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 74 runners so far this year with 29.7% of them ended up crossing the plate. Cubs bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on base 51 times and also have had 51 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cubs have sent 165 relievers to the mound on the campaign. The bullpen have 11 holds on the season (30th in the league).

The Chicago Cubs have accumulated 1,462 putouts this year, in addition to 516 assists and 28 errors. Their fielding rate is currently at .986 which has them ranked 16th in baseball, and have accumulated 37 double plays. The Cubs have turned 71.5% of baseballs in play into outs in their 4,386 innings, which has them ranked 7th in MLB.

Rea has taken the hill for 660 innings and is sitting with 537 punch outs during his pro baseball career. Rea (41-30 record in his career) has earned a FIP of 4.38 and he has gone up against 2,800 opposing batters in the major leagues. His ERA is 4.45 (326 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.277. He has allowed 644 base hits (8.8 hits per nine innings) and has had 199 free passes.

The Pirates have a team slugging percentage of .391 and they score 4.91 runs per game (6th in MLB). They have 79 doubles, while getting a free base 209 times and scoring 270 runs. Pittsburgh has recorded 58 home runs so far this year as well as 258 RBIs. They have been rung up on 511 occasions (2nd in the league) and have recorded 482 base knocks. The Pittsburgh Pirates have accumulated an OBP of .333 and a batting average of .252 on the campaign.

The Pirates hold a team WHIP of 1.226 in addition to having a FIP of 3.72 as a team for the season. They are currently ranked 8th in baseball as a staff in total hits conceded with 417. The Pittsburgh pitching staff have yielded 236 runs this season and come in with a team ERA of 3.72 (206 earned runs conceded). They currently have a strikeout to walk ratio of 8.80 (488 strikeouts vs 194 bases on balls). They have yielded 47 homers and they yield 4.26 runs per 9 innings (12th in the league).

Pittsburgh relief pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 33.3% out of 66 inherited base runners. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 56 times in high leverage situations and on 53 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 54 save situations, the Pirates have 31 holds and also 12 blown saves. They rank 28th in baseball holding a save rate of 45.5%, and they have dispatched 182 bullpen pitchers onto the field so far this season.

Out of their 4,488 innings played, the Pirates hold a defensive efficiency of 70.8% (10th in professional baseball). The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten 42 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .984 (25th in MLB). The Pirates have racked up 462 assists, 32 errors and have a tally of 1,496 putouts on the campaign.

So far in his pro baseball career, Skenes has given up 270 hits while he has earned 451 strikeouts in 380 innings pitched. He has allowed 90 ER's while holding a WHIP of 0.928 and a FIP of 2.1. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 5.43 and he has faced 1,479 opposing hitters in his pro baseball career. Skenes (27-17 career win-loss record) has earned a 2.13 earned run average while surrendering 6.4 hits per nine innings.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago (-182)

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