Pirates vs. Cubs Prediction & Best Bet 9/4/24

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs
Date: Wednesday, September 4th, 7:40 ET
Location: Wrigley Field
TV: SN PT
Money Line: Pirates +158/Cubs -192
Total Line: 8

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Chicago Cubs and the Pirates on Wednesday, September 4th at Wrigley Field. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

The forecast for Wednesday’s Pirates vs. Cubs matchup calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s. This one is getting started at 7:40 PM ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Cubs are favored on the money line (-192). The money line odds for the Pirates are at +158, and they are 5th in the NL Central with a record of 65-73.

SN PT will be televising Wednesday’s Pirates vs. Cubs matchup, and Shota Imanaga will be on the mound for the Cubs. The Pirates are starting Domingo German, and they will be looking to extend their two-game winning streak.

Pirates vs. Cubs Projected Lineup

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

Pittsburgh Pirates: 65-73 SU / OU 67-69 / Runline 77-61
Chicago Cubs: 71-68 SU / OU 64-70 / Runline 68-71

Pittsburgh cruised to a 5-0 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 7th inning, scoring three of their five runs. As for the Cubs, they had their best chance to score in the 5th, but left the bases loaded. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -122 on the money line.

Paul Skenes pitched well for the Pirates in this one, going five innings and striking out six without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Kyle Hendricks took the loss for the Cubs. Hendricks went five innings and gave up two earned runs.

Jared Triolo was the only player in the game to homer, going 1/4 with three RBIs. Nick Gonzales also had a two-hit game for Pittsburgh.

Pirates Records & Recent Play

Pittsburgh is 65-73 overall and trail the Brewers by 15.5 games in the NL Central. The Pirates have gone 22-19 in divisional games this year. They have won two straight games and are 4-6 across their last 10. Pittsburgh took the first two games of this series vs. the Cubs and are looking to keep things rolling today.

As the road team, the Pirates are 33-37 this season compared to a 32-36 mark at home. So far, they have been the underdog in 53 games, where they are 22-31. Pittsburgh has been slightly better as the favorite, going 28-24 this year. The team’s series record is 17-21-5, and they have dropped two straight series.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 77-61 against the run line this season, including a 43-27 mark on the road. They have covered the run line in two straight road games and have an average run margin of -0.3 runs per game this season. They have been a solid bet as an underdog, going 57-29 against the run line.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will be on the road today against the Chicago Cubs with the over/under line set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 67-69. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 14-15. So far this season, 70 of their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, accounting for 50.7% of their games, while 39 games have had lines set below 8 runs, accounting for 28.3% of their games.

Cubs Records & Recent Play

After dropping the first two games of their series vs. the Pirates, the Cubs are 71-68 overall, putting them 10 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Overall, they have gone just 20-28 against other teams in the NL Central this year. The Cubs have been good lately, going 7-3 over their last ten games.

At home, the Cubs are 36-31 this year and 35-37 on the road. As the favorite, Chicago has gone 37-33 and 34-35 as the underdog. Looking at their overall series record, the Cubs are 20-20-3 and have won five straight series.

Chicago has a run line record of 25-42 at home and 43-29 on the road. They have a run line record of 68-71 overall. Their average run margin for the season is +0.3 runs per game. They have a run line losing streak of 2 games at home. As the underdog, they have a run line record of 46-23, while they are just 22-48 as the favorite. Their average run differential in wins is +3.7 runs per game, while it is -3.2 runs per game in losses.

Chicago Cubs games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, but their O/U record is just 64-70. When the O/U line is set at 8 runs, the Cubs are 9-16-1. Overall, 49.6% of their games have had O/U lines set at 8 runs or higher.

Pitching Matchup

Domingo Germán has made one start and six appearances for the Pirates this year. He has a record of 0-0 and an ERA of 6.11. Germán has a WHIP of 1.58 and has issued 6.11 walks per nine innings. The right-hander has made one quality start this year. In his most recent outing, Germán gave up two earned runs in three innings of work out of the bullpen. He finished with a no-decision in the outing. Germán has finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. Opponents are batting .213 off Germán this year.

Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today and is facing the Pirates at home. So far this season, he has made 25 starts and has a record of 11-3. Imanaga’s ERA for the season is 3.14, along with a WHIP of 1.05. In his 25 starts, he has turned in 15 quality starts and is averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Imanaga gave up three earned runs in six innings of work, coming out with the win. Before that, he had won two straight starts. The left-hander has been tagged for at least one homer in three straight outings.

Pirates vs. Cubs Offense Outlook

Pittsburgh’s offense has been below average this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and team batting average. However, they do have two hitters in the top 15 in the league in home runs, with Bryan Reynolds leading the team with 22 homers and a batting average of .282.

Reynolds has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/39 in his last 10 games with three homers. Oneil Cruz has also been swinging a hot bat, going 14/42 in his last 10 games. Currently, Yasmani Grandal leads the team in hitting streaks at seven games.

So far this season, the Cubs are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 5 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .240, which is 15th in the league, and their collective on-base percentage is 8th in the league. Chicago’s offense has been led by Ian Happ, who is 1st on the team with 79 RBIs and has 23 homers, which is 14th in the league. Seiya Suzuki is also near the top of the league in homers, as he has gone deep 19 times.

Chicago will be looking for Cody Bellinger to break out of his recent slump, as he is just 4/20 in his last five games. Dansby Swanson has been hot of late, going 9/21 in his last five games, including one homer and four RBIs. Swanson also comes into the game on a five-game hitting streak.

Free Pirates vs. Cubs MLB Pick

Chicago was the latest victim of having to face Paul Skenes, as even though Skenes went just five innings, the Cubs couldn’t score a run. At this point, every loss hurts their already slim chances to take the final Wild Card spot in the NL. But for today’s matchup, I see Chicago getting back on track. The way I’d play this one is to take the Cubs to cover the run line.