Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 9/3/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Thursday, September 3, 2020

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: MARQ/ATPT

Odds/Point Spread: Cubs (-170) Pirates (+157)

Ian Happ and the Chicago Cubs (21-14, 1st in NL Central) head to PNC Park on Thursday where they'll take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-23, 5th in NL Central). The odds on this contest have the Cubs priced at -170 and the Pirates are at +157. The total has been set at 10. The starting pitchers will be Alec Mills and JT Brubaker.

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

9/2/2020 Tyler Chatwood SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 21
9/1/2020 Andrew Chafin RP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 3
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

9/2/2020 Joe Musgrove SP Triceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
8/28/2020 Keone Kela RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
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 21-14 overall record this season. Mills (4-3 win-loss mark in his career) sits with a FIP of 4.45 while he has faced 377 opposing batters during his time in the major leagues. His earned run average is 4.33 (43 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.187. He has given up 73 base knocks (7.4 hits per nine innings) and has had 33 free passes. Mills has taken the hill for 89 frames and has earned 93 strikeouts during his pro baseball career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.23 and they have given up 101 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .195 against the bullpen and they've struck out 141 hitters and walked 69 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.49. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 278 base hits and 151 earned runs. They have allowed 47 home runs this season, ranking them 15th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 112 batters and struck out 307. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.38.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .227, good for 25th in the league. The Cubs hold a .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 27th in MLB with 7.2 hits per game. Ian Happ is hitting .304 with an on-base percentage of .420. He has 35 hits this season in 115 at bats with 22 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .643 and an OPS+ of 181. Jason Heyward is hitting .299 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .411. He has totaled 26 hits and he has driven in 17 men in 87 at bats. His OPS+ is 159 while his slugging percentage is at .563. The Cubs have 253 hits, including 50 doubles and 53 home runs. Chicago has walked 146 times so far this season and they have struck out 340 times as a unit. They have left 234 men on base and have a team OPS of .752. They score 4.83 runs per contest and have scored a total of 169 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 10-23 overall mark this year. Brubaker has surrendered 18 hits while totaling 22 punchouts in 20 frames. He has conceded a total of 10 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.400 and a FIP of 4.0. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.20 and he has gone up against 89 batters. Brubaker (0-0 record) is the owner of a 4.50 earned run average while allowing 8.1 hits per nine innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.97 and they have given up 132 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .204 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 154 batters and walked 77 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 5.02. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 271 base knocks and 162 earned runs this season. They have given up 49 home runs this year, which ranks 8th in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 147 hitters and struck out 284 batters. They give up a walk 4.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 5.14.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .218, good for 27th in the league. The Pirates hold a .343 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .280, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 7.3 hits per contest. Erik Gonzalez comes into this matchup batting .265 with an OBP of .298. He has 26 hits this year along with 16 RBI in 98 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .449 with an OPS+ of 99. Josh Bell is hitting .205 this season and he has an OBP of .273. He has collected 24 hits in 117 at bats while driving in 14 runs. He has an OPS+ of 62 and a slugging percentage of .325. The Pirates as a unit have 240 base hits, including 39 doubles and 31 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 94 times this year and they have struck out on 299 occasions. They have had 185 men left on base and have an OPS of .623. They have scored 4.09 runs per game and totaled 135 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs (-170)

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