Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Betting Pick & Prediction 9/2/24

Monday’s matchup between the Pirates and Cubs has a first pitch set for 7:40 PM ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. The Cubs are the heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -147 compared to the Pirates at +124. The over/under line is currently 7.5 runs.

Jameson Taillon will be starting for the Cubs, while the Pirates are going with Jared Jones. Pittsburgh comes into the game with a record of 63-73, which has them 5th in the NL Central. The Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central and have won 6 straight games.

CHICAGO CUBS VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline -147

This game will be played at Wrigley Field at 7:40 ET on Monday, September 2nd.

HOW TO BET THE PIRATES VS CUBS:

• We have the Cubs winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Pirates to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

Pirates Records & Stats

Pittsburgh is coming off a game in which they wasted several good performances. In their 6-1 loss to Cleveland, Mitch Keller was the only bright spot. He went 5 1/3 innings, giving up just three runs on 11 hits. Keller also issued only one walk and struck out seven Guardians batters. Despite pitching well, he was still tagged with the loss.

The Pirates’s offense scored their only run in the 7th inning. It was too little too late, as they were already losing 6-0. Pittsburgh was the +132 underdog going into this matchup.

Pittsburgh will be on the road for today’s game vs. the Cubs, and they are 63-73 overall, putting them 5th in the NL Central. They trail the Brewers by 16.5 games and are just 20-19 in divisional matchups this year. The Pirates lost two of three in their series vs. the Guardians.

At home, the Pirates are 32-36 this year, and they are just below .500 at 31-37 on the road. As the underdog, Pittsburgh is 36-49 this year compared to a mark of 27-24 as the favorite. So far, they have dropped two straight series and have an overall series record of 17-21-5.

When the Pirates win, they win by an average of 3.2 runs per game, and when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.5 runs per game. They have a run line record of 75-61 on the season, and they are 41-27 against the run line on the road. As the underdog, they are 56-29 against the run line.

The Pirates are on the road today against the Cubs, and the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average in their games this season is 8.8 runs, and their over/under record is 66-68. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 10-17. Overall, 72.8% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs, and their current under streak is at 2 games.

Pittsburgh is sending Jared Jones to the mound today vs. the Cubs, and he comes in with a record of 5-7 and an ERA of 3.88. Looking at his overall numbers, Jones has made 17 appearances, and opponents are batting .220 this season. In his 17 starts, Jones has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 9.66 strikeouts per nine innings. The right-hander most recently faced the Cubs on August 27th, where he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in four innings of work. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts.

Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, the Pirates are batting just .236 and have the 21st slugging percentage in the league. One thing they have done well is avoid strikeouts, as they are 27th in the league in strikeouts.

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top hitter this season, with a batting average of .282 and a team-high 21 homers. He also leads the team with 74 RBIs. Reynolds has been hot of late, going 9/31 in his last eight games with two homers. Oneil Cruz has also been swinging a hot bat, going 14/34 in his last eight games.

Cubs Records & Stats

Dansby Swanson and the Cubs are coming off a big 14-1 win over the Nationals to close out their series. Chicago was the slight favorite at -130 on the money line going into the game. Things really got away from the Nationals in the 3rd inning, as the Cubs scored three runs in the inning. Chicago’s offense added another three runs in the 4th and closed things out with a 7-run 9th.

Jordan Wicks got the start for the Cubs, going five innings and giving up just one run on four hits. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out three Nationals batters. The Cubs also had a big game from Pete Crow-Armstrong, going 3/5 with two RBIs.

After taking all three games of their series vs. the Nationals, the Cubs come into today’s game vs. the Pirates having won six straight games. This winning streak has them at 71-66 overall, which is good for 2nd place in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Brewers by nine games in the division.

Chicago has an overall series record of 20-20-3 this season, and they have won five straight series. At home, the Cubs are 23-22 when favored, and they are 36-29 at home overall. On the road, the Cubs are 35-37 this season.

Chicago has a run line record of 68-69 on the season, but they are 25-40 vs. the run line at home. They have a run line record of 43-29 on the road, and they have covered the run line in two straight games. They are 22-47 vs. the run line as the favorite, but 46-22 vs. the run line as the underdog.

Chicago Cubs games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 63-69. When the O/U line is set at 7.5 runs, the Cubs’ over/under record is 16-14. In total, 69.3% of their games have had higher O/U lines than 7.5 runs. Today’s O/U line is set at 7.5 runs.

Jameson Taillon will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win vs. the Pirates. In that August 26th outing, he went 6 2/3 innings, giving up four earned runs, and eight hits. Looking back over his last four outings, Taillon has given up at least four earned runs in three of them. His ERA for the season is 3.85, along with a record of 9-8. Taillon’s WHIP for the season is 1.20. Opponents have hit .249 off Taillon this year. For the season, he has made 23 starts, 11 of which were quality starts.

Seiya Suzuki has been on a tear of late, going 14/37 in his last eight games with three homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .276 with 19 homers, which is the 2nd most on the team. The Cubs’ top power hitter so far has been Ian Happ, who has gone deep 23 times, and his 77 RBIs are the best mark on the team.

As a team, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 5 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .240 and have the 15th ranked home run total in the league.