Chicago Cubs (68-90) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (59-99)
September 30, 2021 6:35 pm EDT
The Line: Pittsburgh Pirates +100 / Chicago Cubs -132; Over/Under: +8
(Get latest betting odds)
The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates meet Thursday in MLB action at PNC Park. The Cubs need a win after losing 11 of their last 13 games. The Pirates need a win after losing five of their last seven games.
The Chicago Cubs have scored 11 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in seven of their last nine games. The Cubs have lost six straight games when scoring four or more runs. Ian Happ leads the Cubs with 102 hits and 64 RBI while Willson Contreras and Patrick Wisdom have combined for 173 hits and 117 RBI. Justin Steele gets the ball, and he is 3-4 with a 4.86 ERA and 52 strikeouts this season. This will be Steele’s second career game against the Pirates.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have scored 11 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in five of their last eight games. The Pirates have split their last eight games when scoring four or more runs. Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 162 hits and 88 RBI while Kevin Newman and Ke’Bryan Hayes have combined for 204 hits and 74 RBI. The Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t announce a starting pitcher at the time this article was published.
The Cubs are 4-12 in their last 16 during game 3 of a series and 1-6 in their last 7 Thursday games. The Pirates are 8-3 in their last 11 home games and 1-7 in their last 8 Thursday games. The over is 13-3 in Cubs last 16 overall. The over is 7-3 in Pirates last 10 overall. The Cubs are 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.
Two teams that have nothing to play for in the final days, I’m looking at the plus money. I also don’t want to back Steele in the favorite role, a pitcher who has allowed 24 hits and 15 earned runs in his last 24 innings. Steele has been his best on the road where he has a 3.10 ERA, but I’m not laying juice with a bad Cubs team on the road that has nothing to play for. It’s the Pirates or pass.
