Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs 8/29/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Chad Kuhl vs. Jake Arrieta

Wrigley Field is the site of the matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, August 29, 2017. The probable starting pitchers are Chad Kuhl for the Pirates and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs.

Pittsburgh opens at +203 while Chicago opens at -220. The Pirates have a 54-72-5 over/under record and a 69-62-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 53-76-0 against the run line and have a 61-61-7 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 54-72-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 69-62-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 61-61-7 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 53-76-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

08/27/17 C Francisco Cervelli Quad 10-day DL (08/26)
08/23/17 P Joaquin Benoit Knee 10-day DL (08/23)
08/22/17 P George Kontos Groin 10-day DL (08/20)
08/18/17 P Wade LeBlanc Quad 10-day DL (08/18)
08/16/17 RF Gregory Polanco Hamstring 10-day DL (08/13)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

08/18/17 P Justin Grimm Finger 10-day DL (08/18)
08/17/17 P Jon Lester Shoulder 10-day DL (08/17)
08/11/17 C Willson Contreras Hamstring 10-day DL (08/10)
08/04/17 SS Addison Russell Foot 10-day DL (08/03)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 63-68 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Chad Kuhl has a 6-9 record with an earned run average of 4.52 and a WHIP of 1.45. He has 110 strikeouts over his 129.1 innings pitched and he's given up 130 hits. He allows 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.99. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.92 and they have given up 423 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the bullpen and they've struck out 401 hitters and walked 167 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.27. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 1,207 base hits and 557 earned runs. They have allowed 151 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 396 batters and struck out 1,008. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.22.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .246, good for 26th in the league. The Pirates hold a .390 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .279 with an on-base percentage of .372. He has 128 hits this season in 458 at bats with 74 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .489 and an OPS+ of 123. Josh Harrison is hitting .275 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .343. He has totaled 130 hits and he has driven in 47 men in 472 at bats. His OPS+ is 103 while his slugging percentage is at .436. The Pirates have 1,091 hits, including 205 doubles and 126 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 439 times so far this season and they have struck out 958 times as a unit. They have left 933 men on base and have a team OPS of .712. They score 4.24 runs per contest and have scored a total of 555 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 69-60 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.49, Jake Arrieta has a 13-8 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 149 strikeouts over the 152 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 133 hits. He allows 7.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.87. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.73 and they have given up 351 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 476 batters and walked 206 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.06. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,031 base knocks and 519 earned runs this season. They have given up 160 home runs this year, which ranks 17th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 451 hitters and struck out 1,134 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.27.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .252, good for 19th in the league. The Cubs hold a .439 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .289 with an OBP of .404. He has 128 hits this year along with 57 RBI in 443 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .533 with an OPS+ of 142. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .275 this season and he has an OBP of .395. He has collected 129 hits in 469 at bats while driving in 92 runs. He has an OPS+ of 137 and a slugging percentage of .525. The Cubs as a unit have 1,104 base hits, including 216 doubles and 187 homers. Chicago has walked 489 times this year and they have struck out on 1,116 occasions. They have had 913 men left on base and have an OPS of .774. They have scored 4.98 runs per game and totaled 642 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs -220

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