Saturday, June 17, 2017

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jake Arrieta vs. Ivan Nova

The Chicago Cubs visit PNC Park on Saturday, June 17, 2017 to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Jake Arrieta for the Cubs and Ivan Nova for the Pirates.

The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -137 and Pittsburgh at +127. The Cubs have a 35-28-2 over/under record and a 23-42-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 33-33-0 against the run line and have a 31-31-4 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 35-28-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 23-42-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 31-31-4 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 33-33-0 against the run line

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

06/14/17 2B Ben Zobrist Wrist "?" Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
06/13/17 P Jake Arrieta Thumb "?" for next scheduled start
06/09/17 P Brett Anderson Back 60-day DL (05/07)
06/08/17 P Kyle Hendricks Hand 10-day DL (06/05)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

05/30/17 C Chris Stewart Hamstring 10-day DL (05/30)
05/28/17 P Antonio Bastardo Quad 10-day DL (04/25)
05/28/17 P Josh Lindblom Side 10-day DL (05/20)
04/18/17 CF Starling Marte Suspension 80-game suspension (eligible to return 07/18 vs. Milwaukee)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 32-33 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta has a 6-4 record with an earned run average of 4.68 and a WHIP of 1.33. He has 79 strikeouts over his 73 innings pitched and he's given up 74 hits. He allows 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.04. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.50 and they have given up 185 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .216 against the bullpen and they've struck out 258 hitters and walked 97 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.2. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 542 base hits and 273 earned runs. They have allowed 83 home runs this season, ranking them 13th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 223 batters and struck out 593. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.19.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .235, good for 29th in the league. The Cubs hold a .414 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 8.0 hits per game. Kris Bryant is hitting .268 with an on-base percentage of .397. He has 62 hits this season in 231 at bats with 28 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .532 and an OPS+ of 144. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .252 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .390. He has totaled 60 hits and he has driven in 41 men in 238 at bats. His OPS+ is 134 while his slugging percentage is at .496. The Cubs have 517 hits, including 101 doubles and 90 home runs. Chicago has walked 260 times so far this season and they have struck out 560 times as a unit. They have left 469 men on base and have a team OPS of .739. They score 4.68 runs per contest and have scored a total of 304 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 30-36 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.83, Ivan Nova has a 6-4 record and a 1.01 WHIP. He has 48 strikeouts over the 89 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 83 hits. He allows 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.53. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.97 and they have given up 237 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 212 batters and walked 81 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.34. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 626 base knocks and 287 earned runs this season. They have given up 77 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 183 hitters and struck out 482 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.23.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .249, good for 19th in the league. The Pirates hold a .392 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .255 with an OBP of .331. He has 61 hits this year along with 35 RBI in 239 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .456 with an OPS+ of 105. Josh Harrison is hitting .305 this season and he has an OBP of .374. He has collected 74 hits in 243 at bats while driving in 22 runs. He has an OPS+ of 121 and a slugging percentage of .469. The Pirates as a unit have 561 base hits, including 107 doubles and 61 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 230 times this year and they have struck out on 486 occasions. They have had 483 men left on base and have an OPS of .717. They have scored 4.23 runs per game and totaled 279 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Cubs/Pirates MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +127

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