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The Pittsburgh Pirates are at Wrigley Field for the final time this season to take on the Chicago Cubs. Below we will continue our MLB odds series with a Pirates-Cubs prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Pirates-Cubs Projected Starters
Bailey Falter vs. Shota Imanaga
Bailey Falter (6-7) with a 4.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 116.1 innings pitched, 81K/34BB, .265 oBA
Last Start: at Cleveland Guardians: No Decision, 4 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
2024 Road Splits: 12 starts, 4.73 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 59 innings pitched, 40K/18BB, .268 oBA
Shota Imanaga (11-3) with a 3.14 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 146.1 innings pitched, 148K/23BB, .232 oBA
Last Start: at Washington Nationals: Win, 6 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
2024 Home Splits: 13 starts, 3.20 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 76 innings pitched, 88K/7BB, .225 oBA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Pirates-Cubs Odds
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-134)
Moneyline: +166
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+112)
Moneyline: -198
Over: 8 (-106)
Under: 8 (-114)
How to Watch Pirates vs. Cubs
Time: 7:40 PM ET/4:40 PM PT
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Marquee Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates have Falter on the mound, and he has not been the best at times, but he ha found a way to beat the Cubs twice. In his two starts against the Cubs, Falter has combined for 13.2 innings pitched, eight hits allowed, and just two runs given up. If Falter can have another outing like that in this game, the Pirates are going to win this game on the road,
Pittsburgh has needs to find a way to get to Imanaga in this game. It will not be easy, but Imanaga has gotten himself into trouble lately. That trouble comes in the form of the long ball. He has allowed 13 home runs in his last 10 starts, and that has been his downfall. The Pirates will get their pitches to hit, they just have to take advantage of that.
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
Shota Imanaga has been the Cubs best pitcher this season. He refuses to walk batters, and he is very tough to hit. The Pirates got a whiff of how tough Imanaga is to hit back in May. Imanaga threw seven shutout innings against them, and struck out seven. Now, that was back in May, but Imanaga has not changed much. He is great at Wrigley Field, and he is still a tough pitcher to hit. If he is anywhere close to his best in this game, the Cubs will win.
Chicago has been on fire with their bats recently. In the past 15 games, the Cubs are batting .278 with an .816 OPS, and 110 runs scored. The Cubs offense has come alive and put them back in the Wild Card race, and their bats need to be hot in this game, as well. If the Cubs can keep hitting well, they will be able to win this game.
Final Pirates-Cubs Prediction & Pick
The Cubs have played some very good baseball as of late, but at some point it is going to end. Chicago will not stay hot at the plate for long periods of time, and their streak could be running out. With that said, the pitching will have to step up, and I think that is exactly what will happen. I like Shota Imanaga to have a shutdown performance and lead the Cubs to a win. I will take the Cubs moneyline.
Final Pirates-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs ML (-198)
