Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 5/18/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Saturday, May 18, 2024

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (+100) Chicago (-118)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (20-25) are headed to Wrigley Field on Saturday where they will take on the Chicago Cubs (25-20). The line on this matchup has the Pirates at +100 and the Cubs are opening at -118. The total comes in at 8. The pitchers taking the mound are Bailey Falter and Shota Imanaga.

Pittsburgh has a slugging percentage of .352 and have been called out on strikes 421 times, while taking a walk on 164 occasions. They have accrued 161 runs batted in in addition to 338 base knocks this season, and their batting average comes in at .223. The Pirates have accounted for 64 doubles as a team and have hit 42 baseballs out of the stadium. They are sitting with 168 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .300. As a squad, the Pittsburgh Pirates are putting up 3.7 runs per game, which has them at 25th in the league.

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The Pirates have a team ERA of 4.02 so far this year (16th in the league), and the staff has struck out 383 batters. Pirates pitchers have given up 53 home runs and 201 runs in total (20th in MLB). Their pitching staff has walked 140 opposing hitters and their FIP is 4.11 as a squad for the season. Pittsburgh has conceded 370 hits (8.3 per 9 innings) and also 179 earned runs. They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.74 and the pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.27.

Pirates bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with opponents on base 40 times in addition to having 60 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have notched 24 holds for the season (14th in the league). The Pirates bullpen have accumulated a save rate of 56.5% and has entered the game in 47 save situations. They have earned 13 saves this season and have blown 10 of 23 chances to get a save. The relief pitchers have inherited 66 runners so far this year with 37.9% of those runners crossed the plate. The Pirates have sent 139 relief pitchers to the mound so far this year.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have earned a total of 1,201 putouts on the year, in addition to 383 assists and 28 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .983 which has them ranked 21st in the majors, and have accumulated 34 double plays. The Pirates have transformed 69.7% of baseballs in play into outs out of 3,603 innings on the field, ranking them 18th in baseball.

Falter has pitched in 241 frames and has earned 195 strikeouts during his career. Falter (12-16 career win-loss mark) has earned a FIP of 4.80 while facing 1,008 opposing hitters during his time in the major leagues. His ERA is 4.66 (125 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.246. He has given up 247 hits (9.2 hits per nine innings) with 54 free passes.

The Chicago Cubs have accounted for an OBP of .318 in addition to a batting average of .236 so far this year. They have been rung up on 394 occasions (10th in MLB) and have notched a total of 353 base knocks. Chicago has recorded 47 home runs this season and 192 runs batted in. The Cubs have a SLG% of .388 and they average 4.58 runs per contest (11th in MLB). They have 66 doubles, while taking a walk 165 times as well as scoring 206 runs.

The Chicago pitching staff have surrendered 192 runs for the season while having an ERA of 3.72 (165 earned runs yielded). They have relinquished 43 home runs and they concede 4.33 runs per 9 innings (14th in the league). The Cubs have a team WHIP of 1.285 with a FIP of 3.81 as a unit so far this season. Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.70 (388 strikeouts against 148 walks). They come in at 20th in the league as a staff in total hits relinquished with 365.

Chicago relievers have an inherited score rate of 34.3% out of their 67 inherited base runners. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 57 times in high leverage situations and on 47 occasions with runners on. With 45 save situations, the Cubs have accrued 23 holds in addition to 9 blown saves. They are ranked 21st in the league with a save percentage of 57.1%, and they have sent 142 bullpen pitchers onto the diamond for the year. Chicago has called on relievers to step onto the hill in 21 save chances and they have tallied 12 saves.

The Chicago Cubs have gotten 25 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .982 (23rd in professional baseball). The Cubs have recorded 369 assists, 28 errors and have 1,199 putouts this year. Out of their 3,597 innings on the diamond, the Cubs have a defensive efficiency of 69.4% (20th in MLB).

Imanaga (5-0 career mark) has a 0.96 ERA while allowing 6.9 hits per 9 innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 6.38 and he has faced 183 hitters in his career. He has conceded 5 ER's while earning a WHIP of 0.943 and having a FIP of 2.3. During his pro baseball career, Imanaga has surrendered 36 base hits while accumulating 51 punch outs in 46 innings pitched.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago (-118)

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