The Pirates get a visit from the Chicago Cubs in baseball action on Monday, with the home side looking to send the visitors to the showers with a loss.

The match puts starter Carlos Zambrano for the Cubs on the hill facing Paul Maholm for the Pirates. Zambrano brings a 7-6 mark to the game, while Maholm is 6-10 to date on the season.



View Chi Cubs vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're going with the Pirates in this one, they're listed as moneyline favorites of -145 on most baseball betting menus for Monday's contest.

Power Rankings:
It's a baseball betting matchup between the National League No. 13-rated Pirates and the league No. 11-ranked Cubs, according to the latest MLB power poll here at Odds Shark.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 12 ranked National League offense (3.8 runs per game) against a Cubs defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 16 in the National League at 5 runs allowed per game. The Pirates have been averaging 8.2 hits per game, less than the Cubs have managed so far this season (8.9 hits on average).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Pittsburgh has the National League's No. 5-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Cubs own the National League's No. 16 mark in runs allowed.

Last time out for Chicago, they were a 6-3 Sportsbook as they battled the Cardinals on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Cubs at +149 were rewarded, while the 9 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Chicago rolled to a 6-3 win against St. Louis on Sunday, as Ryan Dempster and the Cubs' bats led the team to victory at Busch Stadium.

In their last action, Pittsburgh was a 6-5 loser on the road against the Phillies. Bettors on Philadelphia at -185 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (11) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. Pittsburgh lost a tight one on Sunday, seeing the game get away from them in extra innings and falling by a 6-5 score against Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park.


Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After playing St. Louis are 4-6
After a win are 3-7

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After playing Philadelphia are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

A few Cubs at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chi Cubs' last 11 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Chi Cubs' last 20 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chi Cubs' last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
Pittsburgh is 7-2 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Pittsburgh's last 20 games when playing Chi Cubs


Next up:
Chi Cubs at Pittsburgh, Tuesday, August 2