Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 5/10/24
At 6:40 PM from PNC Park in Pittsburgh, we have an NL Central matchup between the Cubs and Pirates. Heading into Friday’s game, the Cubs have a record of 22-16, while the Pirates are 17-21 overall. Chicago comes in as the underdog on the money line (+113), and the over/under line is at 7.5 runs.
Jared Jones is starting for the Pirates, and he is facing off against Javier Assad for the Cubs. If you’re looking to watch this one on TV, it is being carried by SN PT.
CHICAGO CUBS VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK
The Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline +113
This game will be played at PNC Park at 6:40 ET on Friday, May 10th.
HOW TO BET THE CUBS VS PIRATES:
- We have the Cubs winning by a score of 5 to 4
- If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Cubs to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Cubs Records & Stats
Chicago closed out their series vs. the Padres with a 3-0 loss. Heading into the game, the Cubs were the slight favorite at +116 on the money line. Things started off well for the Cubs, as Hayden Wesneski got the start and tossed six innings of scoreless baseball. However, the Cubs couldn’t close things out, and the Padres scored three runs in the 5th to pick up the win. Chicago’s offense scored their only run in the 2nd inning.
Hayden Wesneski took the loss but pitched well for the Cubs, going six innings and giving up just three hits. He did run into trouble in the 5th, as the Padres scored three runs in the inning. Chicago’s offense, which was carried by the hot bat of Patrick Wisdom, went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
Chicago is 22-16 overall, putting them 2nd in the NL Central, 0.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. So far, they are 2-1 in divisional games. The Cubs are just coming off losing two of three to the Padres.
On the road, the Cubs are 9-10 this season and have gone 13-6 at home. Chicago is 10-5 when favored and 12-11 as the underdog. Heading into today’s game, their overall series record is 6-4-2.
Chicago has been a solid run-line bet this season, going 23-15 overall. The Cubs have been especially good on the run line on the road, going 13-6. They have been a better run-line bet as the underdog, going 17-6, compared to 6-9 as the favorite. Their average run margin is +0.3 runs per game, and they have a run-line record of 10-9 at home.
Today’s over/under line of 7.5 runs for the Cubs-Pirates game is lower than the Cubs’ average combined run total of 8.8 runs per game this season. Chicago’s over/under record is 16-21 for the year, and when the line has been set at 7.5 runs, the Cubs are 5-5. Their last two games have gone under the total, and overall, 60.5% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs.
Javier Assad gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Pirates on the road. He has made seven starts this season and has a record of 3-0 with an ERA of 1.66. So far, Assad has made two quality starts and is coming off a game in which he didn’t allow a run. In that outing vs. the Brewers, he went six innings and gave up just four hits. Looking at his overall numbers, opponents are batting .203 off Assad this season. Per nine innings, he has 7.34 strikeouts and 2.84 walks.
Christopher Morel comes into today’s game with a team-high eight home runs, but he is batting just .211 for the season. However, he has gone 4/22 (.227) over his last seven games, with four homers and 10 RBIs. Michael Busch has gone 7/27 in his last seven games, and his 19 RBIs are the 2nd most on the team. Busch is also 2nd on the Cubs with seven homers.
Over his last two games, Cody Bellinger has gone 3/8 with a home run, and Nico Hoerner is batting .276 over his last seven games. Hoerner has one home run this season and is batting .273 overall.
Pirates Records & Stats
The Pirates will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Angels with a 5-4 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 7th inning before the Angels scored three runs in the top of the 8th. Pittsburgh was the -136 favorite at home going into the game.
Martin Perez was on the mound for the Pirates, taking the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits. The Pirates also wasted a big game from Oneil Cruz, who went 2/4 with three RBIs.
The Pirates kick off their series vs. the Cubs having lost two straight games, and they are 17-21 overall. Pittsburgh is 5.5 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead, and they are 3rd in the division. So far, they are 2-2 in divisional games.
At home, the Pirates are 8-10 this year and 9-11 on the road. As the favorite, the Pirates are just 6-11 this year and 11-10 as the underdog. The team’s overall series record is 4-5-3, and they are coming off losing their series vs. the Angels.
When the Pirates win, they win big, with an average run margin of 2.7 runs per game. However, when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.2 runs per game. Their run line record is 19-19, with a -0.6 run differential on the season. They are 8-10 vs. the run line at home and 11-9 on the road. They have failed to cover the run line in their last two games, and are 2-2 vs. the run line as the favorite and 14-7 as the underdog.
With a combined run average of 7.6, the Pittsburgh Pirates have seen their fair share of high-scoring games this season. Their over/under record is 16-22, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 1-7. The Pirates have had over/under lines set at 7.5 runs in 26 of their games this season, which accounts for 68.4% of their games. The over has hit in their last two games, and the over has hit in three of their last four games with lines set at 7.5 runs.
Jared Jones gets the start for the Pirates today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. Against the Rockies on May 4th, he went seven innings, giving up just one hit and issuing zero walks. Jones finished with 10 strikeouts in that outing. For the season, he has made seven starts, and his ERA is 2.63. Opposing batters are hitting .184 off Jones this season. Overall, he has a record of 2-3 and has issued just 1.1 walks per nine innings.
So far this season, the Pirates are averaging just 3.5 runs per game, which is 28th in the league. They have been even worse at home, averaging only 2.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .220 and are dead last in the league in isolated power.
Oneil Cruz and Edward Olivares are tied for the team lead in home runs, but both players are looking to get things going again, as Olivares is batting just .190 over his last six games, and Cruz is hitting .296 over his last eight games. Bryan Reynolds is the team’s leading hitter this season at .240 and also has a team-high 17 RBIs.