The visiting Cubs hope for a solid performance on Friday as they look to steal a win at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It's a pitching duel between AJ Burnett for the Pirates (2-2 on the year) and Ryan Dempster for Chicago (0-2 so far).



View Chi Cubs vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Pittsburgh opened as -115 moneyline favorites in this baseball match, based on the starting pitcher matchup. That pairing made odds makers settle on an Sportsbook over under number of 6.5.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 16 (Pirates) and the No. 11 (Cubs) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Pittsburgh's No. 16-rated National League offense, averaging 2.9 runs per game, against a Cubs defense that ranks No. 13 in the National League at 4.6 in runs allowed per game. The Pirates have averaged 7 hits per game so far, less than Cubs batters have averaged on the year (8.2 hits per game).

Pittsburgh owns the National League's No. 3 defense, allowing 3.6 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Chicago's National League No. 13-rated defense.

The Cubs were a 5-1 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Astros. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Houston at -130 on the moneyline, while the total score (6) was good news for UNDER bettors. Chicago didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 5-1 to Houston on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park.

The Pirates were a 3-1 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Mets. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got New York at -104 on the moneyline, while the total score (4) was good news for UNDER bettors. Pittsburgh suffered a 3-1 loss against New York on Wednesday, as Charlie Morton wasn't able to lead his team to victory at PNC Park.


Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Friday are 2-8
Before playing Pittsburgh are 6-4
After playing Houston are 4-6
After a loss are 1-9

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing Chi Cubs are 3-7
After playing NY Mets are 6-4
After a loss are 7-3

A few Cubs at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chi Cubs' last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Chi Cubs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chi Cubs' last 10 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chi Cubs' last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games when playing Chi Cubs


Next up:
Chi Cubs at Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 26