Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 9/2/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: MARQ/ATPT

Odds/Point Spread: Cubs (-205) Pirates (+188)

Jason Heyward and the Chicago Cubs (20-14, 1st in NL Central) go to PNC Park on Wednesday where they'll meet the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-22, 5th in NL Central). The Pirates open this matchup at +188 while the Cubs are coming in at -205. The total is set at 9.5. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Kyle Hendricks and Derek Holland.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

8/31/2020 Tyler Chatwood SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
8/30/2020 Kris Bryant 3B Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
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
8/22/2020 Andrew Chafin RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
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
8/26/2020 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. Hendricks (66-47 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 3.58 while facing 4,095 hitters in the major leagues. His ERA is 3.18 (357 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.113. He has conceded 902 hits (8.0 hits per 9 innings) and has 222 free passes. Hendricks has taken the ball for 1,010 frames and has totaled 852 strikeouts in his career. 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 11th 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.

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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. Jason Heyward is hitting .286 with an on-base percentage of .402. He has 24 hits this season in 84 at bats with 16 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .560 and an OPS+ of 157. Ian Happ is hitting .294 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .417. He has totaled 32 hits and he has driven in 20 men in 109 at bats. His OPS+ is 177 while his slugging percentage is at .624. 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 10-22 overall mark this year. Holland (79-80 career mark) has earned a 4.60 earned run average while allowing 9.1 hits per nine innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.30 and he has gone up against 6,037 batters during his MLB career. Thus far in his career, Holland has surrendered 1,419 base knocks while he has accumulated 1,176 punchouts in 1,404 frames. He has given up a total of 718 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.375 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.7. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.09 and they have given up 126 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .204 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 151 batters and walked 75 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 5.05. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 259 base knocks and 157 earned runs this season. They have given up 47 home runs this year, which ranks 8th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 143 hitters and struck out 278 batters. They give up a walk 4.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 5.11.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .217, good for 27th in the league. The Pirates hold a .340 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .278, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 7.2 hits per contest. Josh Bell comes into this matchup batting .212 with an OBP of .270. He has 24 hits this year along with 14 RBI in 113 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .336 with an OPS+ of 65. Erik Gonzalez is hitting .266 this season and he has an OBP of .296. He has collected 25 hits in 94 at bats while driving in 15 runs. He has an OPS+ of 102 and a slugging percentage of .457. The Pirates as a unit have 230 base hits, including 35 doubles and 30 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 87 times this year and they have struck out on 290 occasions. They have had 175 men left on base and have an OPS of .618. They have scored 4 runs per game and totaled 128 runs this season.

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

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Cubs and under 9.5 runs

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