Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates 8/1/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Cole Hamels vs. Nick Kingham

PNC Park is the site of the matchup between the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Cole Hamels for the Cubs and Nick Kingham for the Pirates.

Chicago opens at -117 while Pittsburgh opens at +107. The Cubs have a 49-54-2 over/under record and a 55-50-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 52-55-0 against the run line and have a 51-49-7 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 49-54-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 55-50-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 51-49-7 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 52-55-0 against the run line

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

07/26/18 3B Kris Bryant Shoulder 10-day DL (07/24)
07/21/18 P Anthony Bass Back 10-day DL (07/21)
07/19/18 P Brandon Morrow Biceps 10-day DL (07/18)
06/27/18 P Justin Hancock Shoulder 10-day DL (06/26)
06/24/18 P Rob Zastryzny Back 10-day DL (06/24)
05/26/18 P Yu Darvish Triceps 10-day DL (05/23)
03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (02/16)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

07/28/18 LF Corey Dickerson Hamstring 10-day DL (07/28)
07/28/18 1B Josh Bell Oblique 10-day DL (07/28)
06/29/18 P Chad Kuhl Forearm 10-day DL (06/27)
06/29/18 P Nik Turley Arm 60-day DL (06/29)
03/26/18 P A.J. Schugel Shoulder 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Nick Burdi Elbow 60-day DL (02/20)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 61-44 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels has a 5-9 record with an earned run average of 4.72 and a WHIP of 1.37 this year. He has 114 strikeouts over his 114.1 innings pitched and he's given up 115 hits. He's allowed 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.2. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.21 and they have given up 319 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .220 against the bullpen and they've struck out 387 hitters and walked 186 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.76. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 838 base hits and 399 earned runs. They have allowed 110 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 449 batters and struck out 863. They have walked 4.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.35 and their FIP as a unit is 4.38.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .266, good for 2nd in the league. The Cubs hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.3 hits per game. Willson Contreras is hitting .278 with an on-base percentage of .367. He has 90 hits this season in 324 at bats with 37 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .441 and an OPS+ of 113. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .239 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .364. He has totaled 72 hits and he has driven in 46 men in 301 at bats. His OPS+ is 119 while his slugging percentage is at .472. The Cubs have 974 hits, including 196 doubles and 112 home runs. Chicago has walked 407 times so far this season and they have struck out 885 times as a unit. They have left 826 men on base and have a team OPS of .768. They score 5.02 runs per contest and have scored a total of 527 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 55-52 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.80, Nick Kingham has a 5-5 record and a 1.23 WHIP this season. He has 55 strikeouts over the 60 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 56 hits. He allows 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.19. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.23 and they have given up 347 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 402 batters and walked 158 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.2. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 925 base knocks and 444 earned runs this season. They have given up 115 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 341 hitters and struck out 888 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.07.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 10th in the league. The Pirates hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .288 with an OBP of .334. He has 102 hits this year along with 54 RBI in 354 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .494 with an OPS+ of 123. Josh Harrison is hitting .253 this season and he has an OBP of .292. He has collected 65 hits in 257 at bats while driving in 28 runs. He has an OPS+ of 78 and a slugging percentage of .362. The Pirates as a unit have 924 base hits, including 184 doubles and 113 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 323 times this year and they have struck out on 808 occasions. They have had 715 men left on base and have an OPS of .737. They have scored 4.52 runs per game and totaled 484 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -117

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