Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick 09/24/19

The Chicago Cubs will head east to PNC Park to face their division rival Pittsburgh Pirates. NBC Sports Chicago will be televising the matchup and the game is slated to get going at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates Odds

Oddsmakers have listed Chicago (-180) as the favorite over Pittsburgh (+170). The game’s total sits at 9 runs and bettors can take the over or the under for -110. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the most recent odds sitting at -125 for the Cubs -1.5 runs and +105 for the Pirates +1.5.

The Cubs have gone 82-74 SU this year and are 74-82 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 9.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 7.7 units ATS. Chicago has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Pirates, on the other hand, are 65-91 SU and 74-82 ATS. The team has lost 16.2 units for moneyline bettors and 24.8 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread just once in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.

Pirates games have an over/under record of 89-59-8 in 2019. The Cubs have an over/under record of 71-74-11.

Kyle Hendricks will get the nod for the visiting Cubs. The right-handed Hendricks is 11-9 with a 3.37 ERA and 145 strikeouts. He’s 1-1 with seven strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA against Pittsburgh this year (three starts).

The Pirates are turning to Mitch Keller (1-5, 7.74 ERA). Keller has 58 strikeouts and 14 walks, along with a WHIP of 1.84. Keller is 0-1 with five strikeouts and a 12.46 ERA in one start against Chicago this year.

Chicago’s pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.11 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.95 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.89, along with a K-per-9 of 9.07.

Cubs hitters have slashed .253/.334/.454 on their way to 5.1 runs scored per game this year, including 5.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (0-5 SU).

Chicago’s hitters have been paced by third baseman Kris Bryant and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who’ve collectively belted 58 home runs. Bryant is hitting .282/.382/.521 with 31 home runs, 77 RBIs and 108 runs scored, while Rizzo has a .294 average with 27 homers, 94 RBIs and 89 runs scored.

For the home team, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has allowed 5.7 runs per game overall this year. Its starting pitching staff has a 5.48 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 5.01 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 9.9 K/9. In 70 divisional games, Pirates starters have an ERA of 5.82 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.47.

Pittsburgh’s offense has put up 4.7 runs per outing, including 4.5 per game against divisional foes and 2.2 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .192/.232/.262 over its last five contests and is 0-5 SU during that stretch.

Outfielders Starling Marte and Bryan Reynolds have led the Pirates’ offense this year. Marte is slashing .295/.342/.503 with 23 home runs, 82 RBIs, 97 runs and 25 stolen bases, and the line for Reynolds stands at .318/.381/.509 with 16 homers, 67 RBIs and 83 runs scored.

The Cubs have lost 1.9 units and are 61-63 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 58 of those games, compared to 57 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Pirates have lost 5.7 units and are 57-58 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 61 of those games, compared to 47 that went under.

Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cubs, O/U – OVER