Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 8/26/24

Chicago comes into the game with a record of 65-66, while the Pirates are 62-68. This NL Central matchup has a money line odds of -107 for the Cubs and -112 for the Pirates. The over/under line is currently sitting at 8.5 runs.

SN PT will be televising Monday’s game, which gets underway at 6:40 PM ET from PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Jameson Taillon will start for the Pirates, while the Cubs are going with Mitch Keller. Chicago is currently 3rd in the NL Central, while the Pirates are 5th.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS CHICAGO CUBS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline -112

This game will be played at PNC Park at 6:40 ET on Monday, August 26th.

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

Cubs Records & Stats

Heading into their last game vs. the Marlins, the Cubs closed out the series with a 7-2 loss. Chicago was the heavy favorite, at -177, going into the game. Things started off well for the Cubs, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Marlins scored two runs in the bottom of the first.

Javier Assad put together a good start for the Cubs, going seven innings and giving up just three earned runs, and striking out three. However, the Cubs couldn’t close things out, and Assad took the loss. The Cubs also wasted a big game from Ian Happ, who went 3/5 with two doubles, a run scored, and an RBI.

Chicago is on the road today, taking on the Pirates with an overall record of 65-66. The Cubs are in 3rd place in the NL Central, where they trail the Brewers by 10.5 games. So far, they are just 17-26 in divisional games. The Cubs have been good in close games, going 22-14 in one-run games this year.

At home, the Cubs are 36-29 compared to 29-37 on the road. As the favorite, the Cubs are 33-32 this year and 32-34 as the underdog. Chicago’s overall series record is 17-21-3, and they have won three straight series.

Chicago has been a solid run line bet on the road this season, going 38-28, compared to just 25-40 at home. The Cubs have an average run margin of +0.1 runs per game overall, but that number jumps to +0.5 runs per game at Wrigley Field. They have been a profitable run line bet as the underdog, going 44-22, but have struggled as the favorite, going just 19-46.

When the Cubs are on the road, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. Their combined run average this season is 8.4 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 58-68, and their average over/under line is set at 8 runs. When the line is set at 8.5 runs, their over/under record is 16-13. In 37 games this season, the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, which accounts for 28.2% of their games. In 65 games, the line has been set below 8.5 runs, which accounts for 49.6% of their games.

Right-hander Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces his former team, the Pirates. He comes into the game with a record of 8-8 and an ERA of 3.77. Taillon has made 22 starts this year and has turned in 11 quality starts. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts. Taillon’s ERA on the road is 4.97, compared to 3.18 at home.

Over his last four games, Miguel Amaya has been on fire, going 8/13 with two homers and seven RBIs. Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong have also been swinging the bat well, with Suzuki going 8/20 and Crow-Armstrong hitting .353 in their last five games. Both players have two homers during this stretch.

For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They are also just 16th in home runs and have a team batting average of .236. Leading the way in homers is Ian Happ and Isaac Paredes, but both players have struggled in terms of batting average this season.

Pirates Records & Stats

The Pirates’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Reds, closing out their series with a 4-3 win. After allowing three runs to the Reds in the top of the 1st, the Pirates responded with a run of their own. Pittsburgh went on to add another run in the 3rd inning and closed things out with Aroldis Chapman picking up the save in the 9th.

Luis L. Ortiz put together a good start for the Pirates, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out five. Yasmani Grandal had only one hit, but it was a home run, and the Pirates scored another run in the 3rd to take the lead.

Pittsburgh is set to host the Cubs with an overall record of 62-68, and they are 5th in the NL Central, 13 games behind the Brewers. The Pirates took the series vs. the Reds, winning three of the four games.

At home, the Pirates are 32-33 this year, and they have gone 30-35 on the road. So far, they have been the favorite in 49 games, going 27-22 in those matchups. As for their games as the underdog, the Pirates are 35-46 this year. Their overall series record is 18-18-5 heading into today’s game, and they are 6-4 over their last 10 games overall.

When the Pirates win, they do so by an average of 3.2 runs per game. When they lose, they lose by an average of 3.4 runs per game. They have a run line record of 74-56, with a 55-26 record as the underdog.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing at home against the Chicago Cubs today, with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is also 8.5 runs per game, and their over/under record is 62-66. The average over/under line for Pirates games is 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 26-20. So far this season, 21 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs, accounting for 16.2% of their games.

Pittsburgh is sending Mitch Keller to the mound today vs. the Cubs, and he will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. In that start vs. the Rangers, Keller went seven innings and got the win. Looking back over his last three outings, Keller has given up at least five earned runs in each of them. His record for the season is 11-7, and his ERA is 3.76. Out of his 25 starts, Keller has turned in 13 quality starts and has a WHIP of 1.21.

So far this season, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They have not been much better at home or on the road, as they are 22nd and 23rd in those categories, respectively. As a team, the Pirates are batting just .234, which is 18th in the league, and their on-base percentage of .300 is also near the bottom of the league.

Bryan Reynolds and Bryan De La Cruz are the Pirates’ top two home run hitters this season, with 19 and 18 homers, respectively. Reynolds is also the team’s leading run producer, with 71 RBIs. Reynolds comes into the game with a batting average of .279, while De La Cruz is batting .242. Oneil Cruz is also sitting on 18 homers and is batting .265 for the season.