Pittsburgh pays a visit to Chicago on Saturday, hoping to shut down the Cubs bats in baseball action at Wrigley Field.

It's a pitching duel between Jason Berken for the Cubs (0-0 on the year) and Wandy Rodriguez for Pittsburgh (9-13 so far).



View Pittsburgh vs Chi Cubs Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had installed the Cubs as +140 moneyline underdogs in this particular MLB matchup. The total, meanwhile, was set early at 999 before betting started to move the line.

Power Rankings:
It's a baseball betting matchup between the National League No. 15-rated Cubs and the league No. 13-ranked Pirates, according to the latest MLB power poll here at Odds Shark.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to getting on base, the visiting Pirates rank No. 14 in the National League at 8.2 hits per game. That compares with Chicago’s No. 15 ranking in that category.

Chicago owns the National League's No. 14 defense, allowing 4.6 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Pittsburgh's National League No. 6-rated defense.

Pittsburgh lost its last outing, a 7-4 result against the Cubs on September 14. Bettors who backed the Cubs at +125 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (11) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. The Pirates endured a 7-4 loss at the hands of the Cubs on Friday, with James McDonald throwing 3 2/3 innings of 5-hit ball at Wrigley Field.




Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Chi Cubs are 3-7
After playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After a loss are 1-9

Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Pittsburgh are 7-3
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

A few Pirates at Cubs trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Chi Cubs, Sunday, September 16