Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Betting Pick & Prediction 9/4/24
The forecast for Wednesday’s matchup between the Pirates and Cubs calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s. This one gets started at 7:40 PM ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -192 compared to the Pirates at +158. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
SN PT will be televising this NL Central matchup, and the Cubs will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they are 71-68 overall. The Pirates have won two straight and are 65-73. Shota Imanaga is starting for the Cubs, while the Pirates are sending Domingo German to the mound.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS CHICAGO CUBS BETTING PICK
The Pick: OVER 8 Runs
This game will be played at Wrigley Field at 7:40 ET on Wednesday, September 4th.
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
Pittsburgh cruised to a 5-0 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 7th inning, scoring three of their five runs. As for the Cubs, they had their best chance to score in the 5th, but left the bases loaded. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -122 on the money line.
Paul Skenes pitched well for the Pirates in this one, going five innings and striking out six without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Kyle Hendricks took the loss for the Cubs. Hendricks went five innings and gave up two earned runs.
Jared Triolo was the only player in the game to homer, going 1/4 with three RBIs. Nick Gonzales also had a two-hit game for Pittsburgh.
Pirates Records & Stats
Pittsburgh is 65-73 overall this season, and they are 15.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates have gone 22-19 in divisional games this year. The Pirates have won two straight games, and they are 4-6 across their last 10.
At home, the Pirates are 32-36 this season, and they are just above .500 at 33-37 on the road. As the underdog, the Pirates have gone 37-49 this year compared to 28-24 as the favorite. Pittsburgh has dropped two straight series and has an overall series record of 17-21-5.
When it comes to betting the run line on the Pirates, it’s been a profitable endeavor this season, as they are 77-61. They are 43-27 on the run line on the road and have covered in their last two road games. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 57-29 on the run line, compared to 20-32 as the favorite. Their average run differential in wins is +3.2, while it’s -3.5 in losses.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 67-69. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 8, their record is 14-15. In total, 70 of their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, accounting for 50.7% of their contests.
Pittsburgh is sending right-hander Domingo Germán to the mound today vs. the Cubs. He has made one start and six appearances this year and has a record of 0-0 with a 6.11 ERA. Germán’s WHIP for the season is 1.58. In his 17 2/3 innings of work, he has turned in one quality start. Looking back at his most recent outing, Germán came out of the bullpen and went three innings vs. the Guardians. He gave up two earned runs, four hits, and one homer in the outing. Germán finished with a no-decision in the outing. Before that, he had given up at least two homers in three straight outings.
So far this season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game, and are 17th in the league in home runs. As a team, the Pirates are batting just .236, which is 18th in the league, and are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts and on-base percentage.
Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ best hitter this season, with a batting average of .282 and a team-leading 22 home runs. In his last 10 games, Reynolds has gone 11/39 with three homers and seven RBIs. Oneil Cruz is also swinging a hot bat right now, hitting .333 over his last 10 games.
Cubs Records & Stats
With a record of 71-68, the Cubs are in 2nd place in the NL Central, ten games behind the Brewers. The Cubs have dropped two straight games, and this is part of their overall division record of 20-28. Chicago has been playing well of late, going 7-3 over their last ten games.
At home, the Cubs are 36-31 this season compared to 35-37 on the road. As the favorite, the Cubs are 37-33 this year and 34-35 as the underdog. Chicago has won five straight series, and their overall series record is 20-20-3 this year.
When it comes to the run line, the Cubs have been a much better bet on the road than at home. They are 43-29 vs. the run line on the road compared to 25-42 at Wrigley Field. They have been a solid bet as the underdog, going 46-23 vs. the run line, but have struggled as the favorite, going 22-48.
Chicago Cubs games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 64-70. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Cubs have gone 9-16-1. Overall, 49.6% of their games have had over/under lines set at over 8 runs.
Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today and is coming off a strong outing vs. the Nationals. In that start, he went 6 innings, giving up 3 earned runs and picking up the win. Looking back further, Imanaga has won each of his last two starts. His record for the season is 11-3, and he has an ERA of 3.14. Opposing batters are hitting .229 off Imanaga this season. The left-hander has made 25 starts, and opponents have hit 23 home runs off him this year. Imanaga has a total of 15 quality starts this season.
For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. However, they have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 5 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .240, which is 15th in the league, and are 17th in team slugging percentage. The Cubs are also 8th in on-base percentage.
Chicago’s top power threat this season has been Ian Happ, who leads the team with 23 home runs and is also the team’s leader in RBIs (79). Seiya Suzuki is right behind him in the home run department, with 19 homers, and has a batting average of .275. Coming into the game, Christian Bethancourt and Dansby Swanson are both on five-game hitting streaks.