Pittsburgh will try to be nasty hosts on Wednesday when the Chicago Cubs pay a visit to PNC Park.

Pittsburgh hands the ball to starter Francisco Liriano in this one and he'll try to improve on his 2-0 mark on the year. Chicago counters with Jeff Samardzija, who will try to quiet the fans and the Pirates bats at the same time.



View Chi Cubs vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Pirates were listed as -129 moneyline favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 7 earlier at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Pirates rated this week at No. 5 and the Cubs sitting at No. 6.



How They Match Up:
At the plate, Pittsburgh owns the No. 11 ranking for hits in the National League at 8.1 per game. By contrast, the Cubs are rated No. 7 in the same category at 8.5 per game.

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. 7 mark in runs allowed.

Last time out for Chicago, they were a 5-4 loser as they battled the Pirates on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Pirates at -150 were rewarded, while the 9 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Chicago didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 5-4 to Pittsburgh on Tuesday at PNC Park.




Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 1-9
Before playing Pittsburgh are 6-4
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Wednesday are 3-7
Before playing Chi Cubs are 4-6
After playing Chi Cubs are 3-7
After a win are 6-4

A few Cubs at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Chi Cubs' last 16 games
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs


Next up:
Chi Cubs at Pittsburgh, Thursday, May 23