Arrieta Dominant vs Pirates This Season

The Pittsburgh Pirates posted the second-best record in baseball during the regular season and are rewarded by facing perhaps the best pitcher in baseball in Jake Arrieta in a wild card game against the Chicago Cubs Wednesday.

Shark Bites
  • The Pirates 1-2 hitters have batted just .125 in the Pirates past seven postseason games.
  • The Pirates and Cubs have not hit a HR off Arrieta or Cole this season (61.1 IP).
  • In two September starts vs the Pirates, Arrieta allowed just one run in 15 innings pitched.

To make matters worse for the Pirates, Arrieta has completely dominated them this season. In five starts against them, Arrieta went 3-1, allowing just three runs while striking out 33.

The Pirates struggled in their last series against the Cubs at PNC Park going 1-3 while being outscored 18-14 with three of those games decided by just one run.

The Pirates will send Gerrit Cole to the mound with the hopes that he can continue his career dominance against the Cubs. The Bucs have gone 8-1 in Cole’s nine career starts against the Cubs, which includes the right-hander going 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts this season.

Arrieta is coming off a historic second half for the Cubs with the TCU-alum posting a 12-1 record with a 0.75 ERA in 15 starts since the All-Star Break. Arrieta has been so dominant that the Cubs are a near perfect 14-1 when the potential Cy Young Sportsbook has pitched after the Midsummer Classic.

Sportsbook Odds

Pittsburgh was a -110 moneyline favorite earlier in the day at Sportsbook, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers at Sportsbook pick an Sportsbook over under number of 6.

Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Matchup

Team Betting Records & Power Rankings

Pittsburgh (98-64) will face the 96-65 Cubs in this tilt. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Pittsburgh vs Chicago injuries news.

The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Pittsburgh Pirates rated this week at No. 9 and the Chicago Cubs sitting at No. 2.

Statistical Matchup

On offense, it's a battle between the Pittsburgh Pirates and its No. 11-rated batting order, averaging 4.3 runs per nine innings, against the No. 16 line up of the Chicago Cubs at 4.25 runs per outing.

Defensively, Chicago features the No. 3-rated defense on the road, allowing 3.73 runs per game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes in at No. 15 at home, scoring 4.23 runs per game.

Recent Outings Betting Recap

Chicago rolled to a 3-1 win against Milwaukee on Sunday, as D Haren and the Cubs' bats led the team to victory at Miller Park.

Pittsburgh threw a shutout at Cincinnati in their last outing, using a shutdown performance by J Happ to defeat Cincinnati 4-0 on Sunday.

Betting Trends
  • Chi Cubs is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Chi Cubs's last 12 games
  • Chi Cubs is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
  • Chi Cubs is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
  • Pittsburgh is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games
  • Pittsburgh is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
  • Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs

Next Betting Matchups

Chicago home to , Wednesday, December 31st
Pittsburgh home to , Wednesday, December 31st

Back to Top