Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 9/1/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: MARQ/ATPT

Odds/Point Spread: Cubs (-155) Pirates (+143)

Ian Happ and the Chicago Cubs (20-14, 1st in NL Central) go to PNC Park on Tuesday where they'll meet the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-21, 5th in NL Central). The Cubs open this game at -155 while the Pirates are priced at +143. The over/under opens at 9. The expected starting pitchers will be Jon Lester and Chad Kuhl.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

8/30/2020 Kris Bryant 3B Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/30/2020 Tyler Chatwood SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 4
8/28/2020 Steven Souza RF Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/23/2020 James Norwood RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 18
8/18/2020 Brad Wieck RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
7/23/2020 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Sep 5

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

8/28/2020 Keone Kela RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
8/27/2020 Colin Moran DH Concussion Expected to be out until at least Sep 3
8/26/2020 Joe Musgrove SP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 8
8/25/2020 Yacksel Rios RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 23
8/19/2020 Phillip Evans 3B Jaw Out for the season
8/19/2020 Mitch Keller SP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
8/11/2020 Clay Holmes RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
8/6/2020 Michael Feliz RP Forearm Out for the season
8/6/2020 Nick Burdi RP Elbow Out for the season
7/23/2020 Luke Maile C Finger Out for the season
6/30/2020 Kevin Kramer RF Hip Out for the season
6/30/2020 Chris Archer SP Shoulder Out for the season
2/13/2020 Jameson Taillon SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 20-14 overall record this season. Lester has pitched in 2,568 innings and has earned 2,377 strikeouts so far in his MLB career. His earned run average is 3.58 (1,021 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.263. He has given up 2,420 base knocks (8.5 hits per nine innings) with 825 free passes. Lester (192-109 career record) has a FIP of 3.75 and he has faced 10,731 opposing batters during his time in the major leagues. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.42 and they have given up 99 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .200 against the bullpen and they've struck out 135 hitters and walked 65 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.47. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 268 base hits and 145 earned runs. They have allowed 46 home runs this season, ranking them 9th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 105 batters and struck out 298. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 4.35.

Related: Parlay Calculator

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .225, good for 24th in the league. The Cubs hold a .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 27th in MLB with 7.1 hits per game. Ian Happ is hitting .294 with an on-base percentage of .417. He has 32 hits this season in 109 at bats with 20 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .624 and an OPS+ of 177. Jason Heyward is hitting .286 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .402. He has totaled 24 hits and he has driven in 16 men in 84 at bats. His OPS+ is 157 while his slugging percentage is at .560. The Cubs have 241 hits, including 49 doubles and 51 home runs. Chicago has walked 142 times so far this season and they have struck out 334 times as a unit. They have left 226 men on base and have a team OPS of .752. They score 4.74 runs per contest and have scored a total of 161 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 10-21 overall mark this year. Kuhl (19-21 win-loss mark in his career) is the owner of a 4.23 earned run average and has surrendered 9.0 hits per nine innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.18 and he has faced 1,451 hitters so far in his pro baseball career. During his MLB career, Kuhl has conceded 337 hits while he has earned 296 K's in 338 innings pitched. He has allowed 159 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.399 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.17 and they have given up 124 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .206 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 148 batters and walked 72 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 5.07. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 250 base knocks and 153 earned runs this season. They have given up 46 home runs this year, which ranks 10th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 138 hitters and struck out 269 batters. They give up a walk 4.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.43 while their FIP as a staff is 5.12.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .219, good for 27th in the league. The Pirates hold a .341 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .277, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 7.3 hits per contest. Erik Gonzalez comes into this matchup batting .270 with an OBP of .301. He has 24 hits this year along with 13 RBI in 89 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .438 with an OPS+ of 99. Josh Bell is hitting .218 this season and he has an OBP of .270. He has collected 24 hits in 110 at bats while driving in 14 runs. He has an OPS+ of 67 and a slugging percentage of .345. The Pirates as a unit have 225 base hits, including 33 doubles and 29 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 82 times this year and they have struck out on 275 occasions. They have had 169 men left on base and have an OPS of .619. They have scored 3.97 runs per game and totaled 123 runs this season.

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

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Cubs and under 9 runs

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here