Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 4/3/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Saturday, April 3, 2021

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (+155) Chicago (-233)

Tyler Anderson and the Pittsburgh Pirates (19-41, 5th in NL Central last year) head to Wrigley Field on Saturday where they'll meet the Chicago Cubs (34-26, 1st in NL Central last season). The odds on this game have the Pirates coming in at +155 and the Cubs are at -233. The over/under opens at 9. The pitchers taking the mound will be Tyler Anderson and Jake Arrieta.

Pittsburgh was slugging .357 and were called out on strikes 521 times, while being walked on 167 occasions. They tallied 210 runs batted in as well as 425 hits over the course of last year, while their team batting average was .220. The Pirates accounted for 76 doubles as a team and smacked 59 balls out of the park. They accounted for 219 runs scored and held an on-base percentage of .284. As a team, the Pittsburgh Pirates notched 3.7 runs per contest, which was 30th in MLB.

Pirates pitchers yielded 80 home runs and also 298 runs (12th in baseball). Their pitching staff walked 249 hitters and their FIP came in at 4.80 as a team last season. Their strikeout to walk ratio was at 2.15 and the pitching staff earned a collective WHIP of 1.36. The Pirates had a team ERA of 4.68 last year (19th in baseball), and their staff rung up 536 hitters. The Pirates sent 210 relief pitchers to the hill over the course of last season. The bullpen inherited 104 runners last year with 34.6% of those players ended up crossing the plate. They compiled 6 saves over the course of last season and did not convert 13 of 19 chances to save the game. The Pirates bullpen accumulated a save rate of 31.6% and came into the game in 43 save situations. The relief pitchers earned 22 holds last season (24th in baseball). Pirates bullpen pitchers entered the contest with runners on base in 64 games as well as 64 games with high leverage.

Tyler Anderson allowed 58 hits in 59.2 innings in which he pitched last season. His ERA was at 4.37 and he struck out 41 opposing batters. He surrendered 29 ER's over the course of last season with a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.6. He surrendered 8.7 hits per nine innings and he earned a WHIP of 1.391. Anderson held a FIP of 4.36 and he earned an ERA+ of 97. Anderson (22-27 career win-loss mark) has a FIP of 4.45 and he has faced 1,943 opposing batters in the major leagues. He has given up 463 base knocks (9.1 hits per 9 innings) with 149 walks. His earned run average is 4.65 (236 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.340. Anderson has taken the hill for 456 innings and is sitting with 408 punch outs during his career.

Chicago had 74 home runs last season to go along with 248 RBIs. They hit 82 two-baggers, while getting a free base 229 times and recording 265 runs. The Chicago Cubs accounted for a team OBP of .318 as well as a team batting average of .220 in the prior season. The Cubs had a SLG% of .387 and they scored 4.42 runs per contest (20th in MLB). They were called out on strikes on 568 occasions (5th in baseball) and totaled 422 base knocks.

The Cubs finished with a team WHIP of 1.222 with a FIP of 4.18 as a team during the previous year. Their K/BB ratio sat at 2.87 (523 strikeouts vs 182 free passes). They finished at 22nd in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 451. They allowed 74 home runs and they surrendered 4.17 runs per 9 innings (6th in baseball). The Chicago pitching staff allowed 240 runs for the previous season while having an ERA of 4.00 (230 earned runs conceded). Chicago called on relievers to enter the game in 47 save situations and they walked away with 16 saves. They were ranked 4th in the league with a save percentage of 76.2%, and they sent 188 bullpen pitchers to the hill last season. Their bullpen pitchers stepped onto the hill in 48 games with high leverage in addition to 54 games with base runners. Chicago relief pitchers had an inherited score rate of 38.0% out of their 90 inherited base runners. Wrapping up the year with 21 save chances, the Cubs earned 26 holds in addition to 5 blown saves.

Arrieta had a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.0 with 32 total K's and he held an ERA+ of 88. He pitched in 44.1 innings last season while giving up 10.4 hits per 9 innings. Arrieta allowed 51 base knocks while he conceded 25 earned runs (5.08 ERA). His WHIP was at 1.51 and he held a FIP of 4.66 last year. In his pro baseball career, Arrieta has allowed 1,319 base hits while he has tallied 1,350 strikeouts in 1,513 innings pitched. He has allowed 632 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.220 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.9. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.56 and he has gone up against 6,286 batters during his MLB career. Arrieta (110-79 record in his career) holds a 3.76 earned run average while surrendering 7.8 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's baseball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Chicago (-233)

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