Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 9/23/2022 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Friday, September 23, 2022

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (+105) Pittsburgh (-125)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (55-94) host the Chicago Cubs (64-85) at PNC Park on Friday. The line on this matchup has the Cubs at +105 and the Pirates are opening at -125. The total comes in at 8. The expected starting pitchers will be Javier Assad and Bryse Wilson.

As a squad, the Chicago Cubs are putting up 4.0 runs per game, which has them sitting at 23rd in baseball. They are sitting with 594 runs while holding a team OBP of .311. The Cubs have recorded 240 doubles as a squad and have hit 148 baseballs out of the park. They have recorded 562 RBI's and 1,196 hits for the season, while their average at the plate is sitting at .240. Chicago has a slugging % of .389 and have struck out 1,312 times, while drawing a walk on 453 occasions.

Get all of our MLB Picks Today

The Cubs hold a team ERA of 4.21 for the year (21st in baseball), and their staff has rung up 1,262 batters. Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 2.54 and the pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.33. Cubs pitchers have yielded 198 long balls and 698 runs (23rd in MLB). Their pitching staff has walked 496 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.42 as a unit on the season.

Cubs bullpen pitchers have come into the game with runners on 152 times and also have had 173 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have racked up 50 holds on the season (30th in baseball). The Cubs relief pitchers have a save percentage of 56.1% and has come into the game in 120 save situations. They have accumulated 37 saves so far this season and have blown 29 out of their 66 chances to save the game. The relief pitchers have inherited 209 runners on the campaign with 30.6% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. The Cubs have dispatched 490 relief pitchers to the mound on the season.

The Chicago Cubs have a total of 3,962 putouts on the campaign, as well as 1,345 assists and 86 errors. Their fielding rate is at .984 which has them ranked 21st in pro baseball, and they have turned 130 double plays. The Cubs have transformed 69.4% of baseballs in play into outs out of 11,886 innings on the diamond, ranking them 16th in MLB.

Assad has thrown 23 innings and is sitting with 21 strikeouts in his career. Assad (1-2 mark in his career) has a FIP of 4.78 while he has faced 105 hitters in the majors. His ERA is 3.86 (10 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.543. He has allowed 22 hits (8.5 hits per 9 innings) and has had 14 free passes.

The Pirates have a team SLG% of .364 and they tally 3.59 runs per outing (27th in baseball). They have put up 193 doubles, while taking a walk 418 times as well as scoring 531 runs. Pittsburgh has knocked in 150 home runs this season and 500 runs batted in. They have struck out on 1,390 occasions (2nd in MLB) and have tallied 1,077 hits. The Pittsburgh Pirates are sitting with an on-base percentage of .287 in addition to a batting average of .221 for the year.

The Pirates have a team WHIP of 1.432 and have a FIP of 4.31 as a squad so far this season. They rank 27th in baseball as a staff in total hits relinquished with 1,321. The Pittsburgh pitching staff have allowed 746 runs so far this season while having a team ERA of 4.67 (673 earned runs conceded). Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 2.11 (1,128 strikeouts against 535 free passes). They have surrendered 151 home runs and they concede 5.18 runs per 9 innings (28th in baseball).

Pittsburgh relief pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 37.6% out of 210 inherited base runners. Their relievers have stepped onto the mound 150 times in high leverage situations and on 138 occasions with runners on base. Sitting with 122 save situations, the Pirates have tallied 64 holds in addition to 25 blown saves. They rank 29th in MLB with a save rate of 54.5%, and they have dispatched 458 bullpen pitchers to the hill so far this season. Pittsburgh has had bullpen pitchers take the mound in 55 save opportunities and they have come away with 30 saves.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten 142 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .980 (30th in the majors). The Pirates have racked up 1,387 assists, 108 errors and have notched a total of 3,888 putouts for the season. In 11,664 innings on the diamond, the Pirates have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 67.5% (28th in pro baseball).

So far in his career, Wilson has given up 258 base hits while he has totaled 150 strikeouts in 216 innings pitched. Wilson (9-17 win-loss record in his career) has a 5.79 earned run average while allowing 10.8 hits per nine innings. He has allowed 139 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.532 and a FIP of 5.4. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.05 and he has faced 965 hitters during his pro baseball career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago (+105)

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