Pirates vs Cubs Prediction & MLB Odds For Wednesday, September 4th

Wednesday’s matchup between the Pirates and Cubs is set to get started at 7:40 PM ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. The Cubs are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -192, while the Pirates are at +158. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.

SN PT will be televising this one, and Shota Imanaga will be on the mound for the Cubs, while the Pirates are starting Domingo German. Pittsburgh is 65-73, and they are currently on a two-game winning streak. The Cubs are 71-68 and are 2nd in the NL Central.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Pirates 1.5 (-139) | Cubs -1.5 (+113)
• Total: 8
• MoneyLine: Pirates +158 | Cubs -192

All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Pirates vs. Cubs Prediction: Moneyline

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.

Paul Skenes started for the Pirates and picked up the win, going five innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued four walks. Kyle Hendricks got the start for the Cubs and took the loss, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work.

Jared Triolo was the only Pirates hitter to have a multi-hit game, going 1/4 with a home run. Nick Gonzales also had a two-hit game and drove in a run. As for the Cubs, they were held to just five hits and were shut out.

The Pirates are 65-73 overall and trail the Brewers by 15.5 games in the NL Central. Currently, they are 5th in the division, just a half-game behind the Reds for 4th place. Pittsburgh has gone 22-19 in divisional games this year. As for their overall record, the Pirates have won two straight games.

At home, the Pirates are 32-36 this year, and they are just above .500 at 33-37 on the road. As the underdog, the Pirates are 37-49 this season and 28-24 when favored. Pittsburgh has dropped two straight series, and their overall series record is 17-21-5.

With a record of 71-68, the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central but trail the Brewers by 10 games. The Cubs have dropped two straight games heading into today’s matchup vs. the Pirates, and they are 20-28 against other teams in the division.

Chicago has won seven of their last ten games, and they have an overall series record of 20-20-3. However, they have won five straight series, and their road series winning streak is at three. At home, the Cubs are 36-31 this year.

Pirates vs. Cubs Prediction: Over/Under

The Pirates have a combined run average of 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 67-69. Today’s over/under line is set at 8 runs, which is right around their average line for the season. When the line has been set at 8 runs, the Pirates have gone over 14 times and under 15 times. Overall, 70 of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8 runs, which is just over 50% of their games.

For the season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. Their batting average of .236 is 18th in the MLB, and they are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and on-base percentage. However, they have been swinging the bats better of late, with Bryan Reynolds hitting .282 over his last 10 games with three homers and Oneil Cruz hitting .333 over that stretch.

Reynolds is not only the Pirates’ leader in homers but also in RBIs, with 77. Bryan De La Cruz is 2nd on the team with 19 homers but is batting just .237 for the season. Reynolds also has a three-game hitting streak going, as does Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

When the Cubs are at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The Cubs and their opponents have combined to average 8.7 runs per game this season. Overall, the Cubs have a 64-70 over/under record this season. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Cubs have gone over 9 times, under 16 times, and pushed once. This season, 49.6% of the Cubs’ games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs.

For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 14th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 5 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting .240, which is 15th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .315 is 8th in the MLB.

Over his last five games, Cody Bellinger has gone just 4/20 at the plate, but he does have one home run and four RBIs during that stretch. Dansby Swanson has been hot of late, going 9/21 with a homer and four RBIs. Swanson also comes into the game on a five-game hitting streak.

Pirates vs. Cubs Prediction: Spread

Despite their overall run differential of -0.3 runs per game, the Pirates have been a profitable team to back on the run line this season, as they are 77-61 overall. Their run line record is even better on the road, where they are 43-27. They have covered the run line in their last two road games and are 57-29 against the run line as an underdog.

Right-hander Domingo Germán is getting the start for the Pirates today as he faces the Cubs on the road. 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 lone start, he went six innings and didn’t give up a run. However, he has finished with a no-decision in all of his outings this year. Germán has a total of one quality start this year. Per nine innings, he has 7.64 strikeouts and 6.11 walks. Looking back at his last outing, Germán gave up two earned runs in three innings of work out of the bullpen.

Chicago has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 68-71 overall. The Cubs have been especially good on the run line on the road, going 43-29, compared to just 25-42 at home. As the underdog, they are 46-23 on the run line, while as the favorite, they are just 22-48.

Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. Against the Nationals on August 30th, Imanaga went 6 innings, giving up 3 earned runs, and 8 hits. In that outing, he gave up one home run. Looking back further, Imanaga has given up at least one homer in three of his last four outings. For the season, he has a record of 11-3, an ERA of 3.14, and has made 15 quality starts. Imanaga’s ERA at home is 4.19 compared to 3.37 on the road.

Pirates vs. Cubs Pick: Over 8 Runs -107

Our prediction for today’s Pirates vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs to win at home. However, with the money line payout for the Cubs being -192, we recommend taking the over, with the line sitting at 8 runs. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Cubs.

Looking at today’s starters, Shota Imanaga is projected to go for the Cubs, and we have him finishing with six strikeouts. As for Domingo German, he is projected to finish with seven K’s if he gets the start for the Pirates.