Chicago Cubs (25-20) vs Pittsburgh Pirates (20-25)
Game Info: Friday, May 17, 2024 at 2:20 pm (Wrigley Field)
Kyle Hendricks (0-3) (10.04) vs Paul Skenes (0-0) (6.75)
Betting Odds: Chicago Cubs -110 / Pittsburgh Pirates -110 --- Over/Under: 7.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: MLB.tv
In this article we will formulate a Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs prediction for this MLB game on Friday, May 17th at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. To formulate this prediction for game two in the series, we will examine:
- The Pirates recent form and recent player performance
- The Cubs recent form and recent play performance
- Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Pittsburgh
- Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Chicago
- Recent betting trends in games played between Pittsburgh and Chicago
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for Today’s Game between Pittsburgh and Chicago
Pirates Need Pitching Improvement
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 20-25 this season and they have lost six of their last nine games. Pittsburgh won game one in this series by a score of 5-4 on Thursday night. Prior to this series, the Pirates lost two out of three against Milwaukee, lost two out of three against the Cubs, and lost two out of three against the Angels. Pittsburgh has lost 14 of their last 21 games and they are third in the NL Central behind the Brewers and Cubs.
The Pittsburgh pitching staff has a 4.02 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and a .242 opponent batting average. The Pirates offense has scored 168 runs with a .223 batting average and a .300 on base percentage. Bryan Reynolds is batting .250 with five home runs and 20 RBI’s for the Pirates this season. Pittsburgh is 16th in team ERA this season and they have allowed at least four runs in nine straight games.
Cubs Trying to Get Back on Track at Home
The Chicago Cubs are 25-20 this year and they have lost six of their last ten games. Chicago dropped game one in this series on Thursday, but will look to even the series with a win here. Prior to this series, the Cubs lost two out of three against Atlanta, won two out of three against Pittsburgh, and lost two out of three against San Diego. Chicago hasn’t been able to string many wins together recently, but they are second in the NL Central, just two games behind Milwaukee.
The Chicago pitching staff has a 3.72 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and a .238 opponent batting average. The Cubs offense has scored 206 runs with a .236 batting average and a .318 on base percentage. Christopher Morel is batting .208 with nine home runs and 29 RBI’s for the Cubs this season. Chicago is 11th in team ERA this year and they have allowed at least four runs in four of their last six games.
Starting Pitchers
The projected starting pitcher for Pittsburgh is Paul Skenes, who is 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP over 4.0 innings pitched this season. Skenes allowed three earned runs and six hits over 4.0 innings of work against the Cubs in his first start. The projected starting pitcher for Chicago is Kyle Hendricks, who is 0-3 with a 10.04 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP over 26.0 innings pitched this year. Hendricks has allowed at least four earned runs in four of his last five starts.
Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts
- Cody Bellinger has recorded an RBI in eight of his last nine appearances against NL opponents that held a losing record.
- Kyle Hendricks has recorded five or more strikeouts in each of his last four appearances at Wrigley Field against NL opponents that held a losing record.
- Ian Happ has recorded at least one total base in each of the Cubs' last 14 games against the Pirates at Wrigley Field.
- Ian Happ has recorded at least one hit in each of the Cubs' last 14 games against the Pirates at Wrigley Field.
- Seiya Suzuki has recorded at least one Single in each of his last seven home appearances against opponents that held a losing record.
- Patrick Wisdom has hit a home run in each of his last two appearances with the Cubs as underdogs against the Pirates.
- Cody Bellinger has recorded at least one Double in four of his last five home appearances against the Pirates after playing the previous day.
- Dansby Swanson has scored at least one run in each of his last seven appearances with the Cubs as home underdogs.
Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts
- Oneil Cruz has scored at least one run in seven of his last eight appearances against the Cubs.
- Ke'Bryan Hayes has recorded two or more total bases in six of his last seven appearances in day games against teams that held a winning record.
- Yasmani Grandal has recorded at least one RBI in six of his last seven road appearances against NL opponents that held a winning record.
- Bryan Reynolds has recorded at least one Single in six of the Pirates' last seven games as favorites against the Cubs.
- Joey Bart has recorded a Double in each of his last three appearances with his team as a favorite against NL Central opponents.
- Ke'Bryan Hayes has recorded two or more hits in five of his last six appearances against the Cubs.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Chicago Cubs rank 7th in the league for strikeouts this season (388).
- The Chicago Cubs rank 9th in the league for runs scored this season (206).
- The Pittsburgh Pirates rank T26th in the league for triples this season (3).
- The Pittsburgh Pirates rank 26th in the league for slugging percentage this season (.352).
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction
Both of these teams come into this game with some recent pitching struggles, but can either team figure it out here? Chicago is starting Kyle Hendricks, who has some of the worst season stats of any pitcher this season. Pittsburgh is going with Paul Skenes, who has some very high expectations, but didn’t look great in his first outing. I don’t have faith in either starting pitcher in this game and I think we could see a very high scoring game. My Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs prediction is for this game to go over the total.
David’s Pick Over 7.5
AUTHOR: David Racey
