The Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates meet Monday in MLB action from PNC Park. Here’s a Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs prediction. This will be the first installment in a three-game series. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Pirates vs Cubs pick.
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
The Cubs are fresh off a weekend series versus the Miami Marlins. Chicago won the first two installments of that set 6-3 and 14-2. In the finale, the Cubs took a tough loss, 7-2. Javier Assad went 7.0 innings in the start, with three earned runs.
In the starter slot for Chicago on Monday, are going with Jameson Taillon. So far, Taillon is 8-8 with a 3.77 ERA in 22 starts. Taillon is 67-53 with a 3.98 ERA in 195 career games (194 starts).
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview
Over on the Pirates’ side, they played four games versus the Cincinnati Reds in their last set. Pittsburgh lost the first pair before a 10-2 win on Saturday. In the finale, the Pirates eked out a walk-off win 4-3. Starter Luis Ortiz put up 6.0 clean frames with four hits and a walk.
As the starting pitcher on Monday, the Pirates are going with Mitch Keller. This year, Keller is 11-7 with a 3.76 ERA in 25 starts. Over 127 career games (125 starts) Keller is 36-45 with a 4.50 ERA. The Pirates will face the Guardians following this series.
Total Runs Facts
- Four of the Cubs’ last five games against NL Central opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
- Four of the last five games between the Cubs and Pirates at PNC Park have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cubs’ last seven night games.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last four night games between the Cubs and Pirates at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts
- Yasmani Grandal has recorded an RBI in each of his last four appearances in night games against NL teams that held a losing record.
- Andrew McCutchen has recorded at least one total base in each of his last nine appearances in night games.
- Yasmani Grandal has hit a home run in each of his last three home appearances.
- Andrew McCutchen has recorded at least one hit in each of his last nine appearances in night games.
- Andrew McCutchen has recorded a Single in each of his last nine appearances in night games.
- Andrew McCutchen has recorded a Double in each of his last three appearances against opponents that held a losing record.
- Andrew McCutchen has scored at least one run in each of his last nine Monday appearances at PNC Park.
Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts
- Ian Happ has hit a home run in each of the Cubs’ last two night games against NL opponents that held a losing record.
- Nico Hoerner has recorded at least one hit in each of the Cubs’ last 10 road games against NL Central opponents.
- Nico Hoerner has recorded at least one Single in each of the Cubs’ last seven games against NL Central opponents.
- Dansby Swanson has recorded at least one Double in four of the Cubs’ last five road games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- Mike Tauchman has scored a run in eight of the Cubs’ last nine games against the Pirates.
- Cody Bellinger has recorded at least one RBI in each of the Cubs’ last five road games against the Pirates.
- Nico Hoerner has recorded at least one total base in each of the Cubs’ last 10 road games against NL Central opponents.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction
I’ll lean toward the Pirates. At least some of that is due to Taillon’s recent numbers, though. In his last three starts Taillon is 1-2 with a combined 13 earned runs on 20 hits and four walks in 16.0 innings. Pittsburgh will have some early opportunities here if Taillon can’t get it going.
On Sunday the Pirates got some ninth-inning heroics with a Yasmani Grandal home run, saving the win after blowing an early 2-0 lead with three Reds runs in the seventh. Overall Pittsburgh did pretty well offensively and they only had the one bad inning on the mound. I like the Pirates to keep the momentum up in Monday’s opener.