Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction MLB Picks 9/3/24

In this article we will formulate a Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs prediction for this MLB game on Tuesday, September 3rd 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 

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-73 this year and they have won two of their last three games. Pittsburgh won game one in this series by a score of 5-3 on Monday night. Prior to this series, the Pirates lost two out of three against the Guardians, lost all three against the Cubs, and won three out of four against the Reds. Pittsburgh is 3-6 in their last nine games and they are last in the NL Central. 

The Pittsburgh pitching staff has a 4.13 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and a .251 opponent batting average. The Pirates’ offense has scored 577 runs with a .236 batting average and a .302 on-base percentage. Bryan Reynolds is batting .282 with 22 home runs and 77 RBI’s for the Pirates this season. 

Chicago Cubs Betting Preview

The Chicago Cubs are 71-67 this season and they have won six of their last seven games. Chicago dropped game one in this series and they blew a late 3-0 lead in the game. Prior to this series, the Cubs swept the Nationals, swept the Pirates, and won two out of three against the Marlins. Chicago is 9-2 in their last 11 games and they are second in the NL Central. 

The Chicago pitching staff has a 3.80 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and a .239 opponent batting average. The Cubs’ offense has scored 629 runs with a .240 batting average and a .316 on-base percentage. Seiya Suzuki is batting .275 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI’s for the Cubs this season. 

Starting Pitchers

The projected starting pitcher for Pittsburgh is Paul Skenes, who is 8-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP over 109.0 innings pitched this year. Skenes has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three straight games. The projected starting pitcher for Chicago is TBD, as Justin Steele was scratched from his start. 

Why the Pirates will beat the Cubs

• The Pirates have won five of their last six games as road underdogs against the Cubs.
• The Cubs have lost eight of their last 11 games as home favorites against National League opponents.
• The Pirates have covered the run line in each of their last seven games at Wrigley Field.
• The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in 11 of their last 12 home games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.

Total Runs Facts

• Seven of the Cubs’ last eight night games against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• Each of the Pirates’ last five night games against National League opponents has gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cubs’ last five games at Wrigley Field.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction 

Pittsburgh had a ton of issues generating offense on Monday night, but they scored five runs in the last couple of innings to steal the win in game one. The Pirates are 32-37 on the road, while the Cubs are 36-30 at home. Chicago had their winning streak snapped on Monday, but they have played very well over the last two weeks. This was going to be a great pitching matchup between Skenes and Steele, but Steele was scratched late on Monday night. Since we aren’t sure who is going to start for Chicago in this game, I will side with Skenes and the Pirates here.