Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 5/11/24

At 4:05 from PNC Park in Pittsburgh, we have an NL Central matchup between the Cubs and Pirates. Heading into Saturday’s game, the Cubs are 23-16, while the Pirates are 17-22. The over/under line is at 7 runs, and the Cubs are the slight favorite on the money line (-109).

Justin Steele is starting for the Cubs, and he is facing off against Paul Skenes for the Pirates. You can catch this one on TV on MARQ.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS CHICAGO CUBS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline -110

This game will be played at PNC Park at 4:05 ET on Saturday, May 11th.

HOW TO BET THE CUBS VS PIRATES:

• We have the Pirates winning by a score of 6 to 5
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Pirates to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Chicago cruised to a 7-2 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a huge 7th inning, scoring four of their seven runs. As for the Pirates, they scored their only two runs in the 1st. Heading into the game, the Cubs were at +114 on the money line.

Javier Assad only went 4 1/3 innings for the Cubs but gave up just one run and four hits. He finished with four strikeouts but issued two walks. Ben Brown got the win out of the bullpen. Jared Jones had a rough outing for the Pirates, giving up two earned runs in six innings of work.

Cody Bellinger was the difference for the Cubs, as he went 4/5 with a home run and two RBIs. Ian Happ and Christopher Morel each drove in two for Chicago’s offense.

Cubs Records & Stats

Chicago is 23-16 overall this season, putting them 2nd in the NL Central, just a half-game behind the Brewers for the division lead. The Cubs are 3-1 in divisional games this year and are coming off a win over the Pirates. So far, they have gone 13-6 at home compared to 10-10 on the road.

As the road favorite, the Cubs have gone 3-1 this year and are 10-5 overall as the favorite. Chicago has been good as the underdog, putting together a mark of 13-11 this year. The Cubs’ overall series record is 6-4-2, and they are 1-0 in this series vs. the Pirates.

Chicago has been a strong bet against the run line this season, going 24-15 overall. They have been especially profitable on the road, going 14-6 against the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.3, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.6.

Chicago’s over/under record for the season is now 17-21 after the Cubs and Pirates combined for nine runs in Pittsburgh’s 6-3 win. The Cubs’ games have had an average of 8.8 runs per game, and the over/under line for their games has been set at an average of eight runs per game. The over/under line for this game was set at seven runs, and the over has now hit in four of the Cubs’ five games with a line of seven runs.

Justin Steele is on the mound for the Cubs today, and he will be making his 3rd start of the season. He has yet to factor into a decision in his first two outings, with his last start coming against the Padres. Steele went 4 2/3 innings in that one, striking out 2 and giving up 3 hits. His first start of the season was on the road against the Rangers, and he went 4 2/3 innings in that one as well.

Christopher Morel comes into the game as the Cubs’ leader in home runs, but he has struggled with a batting average of just .217. However, he has gone 5/19 in his last six games, including two homers. Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch are also near the top of the Cubs’ home run leaderboard, with seven and seven, respectively. Bellinger has gone 7/13 in his last three games with two homers.

For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They are batting a collective .237, which is just 16th in the league. At home, they are averaging 4.9 runs per game, and their team on-base percentage of .316 is 8th in the league.

Pirates Records & Stats

The Pirates are 17-22 overall this season, and they have dropped three straight games heading into today’s matchup vs. the Cubs. In the NL Central, they are 6.5 games behind the Brewers and are in 4th place in the division. So far, they are 2-3 in divisional games.

At home, the Pirates are 8-11 this year compared to a road record of 9-11. As the favorite, Pittsburgh is just 6-12 this year, but they have gone 11-10 as the underdog. The Pirates have dropped three straight at home, and their overall series record is 4-5-3.

When betting the run line, the Pirates have been a better play as the underdog, going 14-7. They have also been a solid bet on the run line on the road, going 11-9. However, they have struggled at home, going just 8-11 on the run line. They have lost three straight games on the run line at home, but have covered in two straight games as the underdog.

With the over/under line set at 7 runs, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs combined for 9 runs in their most recent meeting. The Pirates have seen the over hit in three straight games and have an over/under record of 17-22 on the season. Their games have averaged 7.7 runs per game, and 87.2% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7 runs.

Today, Paul Skenes gets the nod for the Pirates as they face the Cubs. It’s his chance to make a strong opening statement, as this will be his first time on the mound this year.

Oneil Cruz has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Pirates, going 8/21 in his last six games, including two home runs, and seven RBIs. Cruz is also on a four-game hitting streak. In his last four games, Edward Olivares has also been swinging the bat well, going 4/15 with a home run and four RBIs. Overall, Cruz and Olivares are tied for 2nd on the team with four homers.

As a team, the Pirates are averaging just 3.5 runs per game, which is 28th in the league. They are also the league’s worst home run hitting team and are batting just .220. However, they do come into the game as the league’s 3rd best team in terms of drawing walks. Currently, the Pirates have three hitters with at least four homers, led by Bryan Reynolds, who is batting .240 with a team-high 17 RBIs.