Pirates vs Cubs Prediction & MLB Odds For Monday, September 2nd
Jameson Taillon will be starting for the Cubs on Monday, as they host the Pirates, and Taillon will be facing off against Jared Jones. The Pirates are 63-73 and Jones, while the Cubs are 71-66 and they have won six straight. The money line odds have the Cubs at -147, while the odds of a Pirates win are sitting at +124. Monday’s over/under line is at 7.5 runs, and the forecast for the game in Chicago calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s.
First pitch from Wrigley Field is set for 7:40 PM ET, and MARQ will be televising this NL Central matchup. The Cubs are in second place in the NL Central, while the Pirates are 5th.
Betting Odds & Lines for this Game
- Spread: Pirates 1.5 (-182) | Cubs -1.5 (+151)
- Total: 7.5
- MoneyLine: Pirates +124 | Cubs -147
All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)
Pirates vs. Cubs Prediction: Moneyline
The Pirates will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Guardians with a 6-1 loss. This was especially tough, as it was their third straight loss. Pittsburgh was the +132 underdog going into this matchup on the road. Things started off well for the Pirates, as they got on the board with a run in the 1st inning but gave up the lead right away as the Guardians scored twice in the bottom of the first.
Mitch Keller got the start for the Pirates and took the loss. He only lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on 11 hits. Pittsburgh’s offense scored their only run in the 1st inning and then didn’t score again until the 7th.
Pittsburgh is 63-73 overall, putting them 5th in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Reds by 1 game for the 4th spot in the division and are 16.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. The Pirates have an overall division record of 20-19 this season.
The Pirates kick off their series vs. the Cubs on the road today. At home, the Pirates are 32-36 compared to 31-37 on the road. So far, they have really struggled as the underdog, going 36-49 and 21-31 as the road underdog. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 17-21-5, and they have dropped two straight series.
Dansby Swanson and the Cubs are coming off a big 14-1 win over the Nationals to close out their series. Swanson went 4/6 with a run scored and three RBIs. The Cubs really broke things open with a seven-run 3rd inning. Looking at the betting lines going into the game, the Cubs were the slight underdog at -130.
Jordan Wicks started for the Cubs, going five innings and giving up just one run on four hits. He only had one strikeout in the outing and got the win.
With their six-game winning streak, the Cubs have improved to 71-66 overall and trail the Brewers by nine games in the NL Central. Chicago’s record is 20-26 in divisional games this year. The Cubs have won five straight series, and their overall series record is 20-20-3 this year.
Chicago has been on fire lately, going 9-1 across their last 10 games. At home, the Cubs are 36-29 this year and 35-37 on the road. As the favorite, the Cubs are 37-32 and 34-34 as the underdog.
Pirates vs. Cubs Prediction: Over/Under
The Pittsburgh Pirates have an over/under record of 66-68 on the season, and their games have averaged a combined 8.8 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 10-17. Overall, 72.8% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs. Their current under streak is at 2 games.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. Pittsburgh’s offense has been one of the worst in the league in terms of home runs and slugging percentage. Their team batting average of .236 is also below the league average.
Bryan Reynolds has been a bright spot in the Pirates lineup this season, as he is batting .282 with a team-high 21 home runs and 74 RBIs. Reynolds has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/31 over his last eight games with two homers. Oneil Cruz has also been hot, going 14/34 in his last eight games.
The Chicago Cubs are playing at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates today. The over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their combined run average of 8.8 runs per game. The Cubs have an over/under record of 63-69 on the season, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 16-14. Overall, 69.3% of their games this season have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs.
Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ have been the top power threats for the Cubs this season, as Happ’s 23 homers leads the team and is 14th in the league, while Suzuki has gone deep 19 times. Suzuki has been hot of late, going 14/37 in his last eight games, with three homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is batting .276, and Happ comes in with a batting average of just .243.
As a team, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road, averaging 5 runs per contest. Overall, they are 15th in home runs and are batting .240, which is 13th in the league.
Pirates vs. Cubs Prediction: Spread
When the Pirates win, they win by an average of 3.2 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.5 runs. Their run line record is 75-61, and they are 41-27 on the run line on the road. They are 56-29 on the run line as an underdog.
The Pirates are sending right-hander Jared Jones to the mound today as he faces the Cubs on the road. Jones has made 17 starts this season and has a record of 5-7 with a 3.88 ERA. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in four innings of work. Looking back, he has allowed at least two homers in three of his last four starts. Opponents are batting .220 this season off Jones, and his ERA on the road is 5.84 compared to 3.12 at home.
Chicago has been a profitable run-line bet on the road this season, going 43-29 against the run line. The Cubs have an average run margin of 0.3 runs per game on the road, compared to 0.5 runs per game at home. They have been a run-line underdog in 68 games this season and have gone 46-22 against the run line in those contests.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Cubs today and comes into the game with a record of 9-8 and an ERA of 3.85. So far this year, he has made 23 starts, and opponents are batting .249 off Taillon. In his 23 appearances, he has turned in 11 quality starts. Taillon’s last outing came on August 26th vs. the Pirates, where he picked up the win, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs. Before that, he had lost two straight starts. The right-hander has given up at least two homers in three of his last four starts.
Pirates vs. Cubs Pick: Cubs ML -147
Our predicted final score for this game is 5-4 in favor of the Cubs, and with the money line sitting at -147, this is the best way to play this one. Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Jared Jones finishing with six strikeouts, which has him ranked 14th among starters.
For Jameson Taillon, we have him finishing with five strikeouts, and his chances of picking up a win are the third worst on today’s slate. As for the Cubs, they are projected to finish with nine hits, and they are the 11th best team in terms of home runs.
