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

Pittsburgh sends James McDonald out against Paul Maholm for the Cubs in this game. McDonald is 10-3 with a 2.93 ERA on the season, while Maholm is 8-6 on the year and has a 4.13 ERA.



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 -170 on most baseball betting menus for Monday's contest.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Pirates at No. 12 in the National League and the Cubs at No. 14 in the National League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Pittsburgh has the National League's No. 10-rated offensive output, at 8.1 hits per game. The Cubs average 8.3 hits per game, good for No. 11 on the National League list.

Chicago brings the National League's No. 10-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Pirates' league No. 3-ranked defense.

In their last action, Chicago was a 2-0 Sportsbook on the road against the Pirates. Bettors on Chicago at +142 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (2) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well. Jeff Samardzija chucked 8 shutout innings at the Pirates in their last game, striking out 5 in a 2-0 win against Pittsburgh in baseball action at PNC Park.




Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Pittsburgh are 3-7
After playing Pittsburgh are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After a loss are 7-3

A few Cubs at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Chi Cubs are 15-8 SU in their last 23 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games at home


Next up:
Chi Cubs at Pittsburgh, Wednesday, July 25