MLB wagering interest swings to the Chicago vs Pittsburgh battle on Saturday at Wrigley Field as the Cubs try to defend home turf and reward moneyline bettors.

The match puts starter AJ Burnett for the Pirates on the hill facing Jeff Samardzija for the Cubs. Burnett brings a 3-6 mark to the game, while Samardzija is 3-6 to date on the season.



View Pittsburgh vs Chi Cubs Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Cubs as -118 favorites on the moneyline for this contest. The over under was hovering near 7 for bettors hoping to turn a profit on totals at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The Cubs sit at No. 4 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Pirates sit at a National League No. 6 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Chicago's National League No. 8-ranked scoring average of 4.1 runs per game, against a Pirates offense rated No. 12 and scoring 3.6 runs per game in the league. The Cubs have averaged 8.4 hits per game to date this season, more than the Pirates hitters have managed (7.8 per nine innings).

Chicago owns the National League's No. 7 defense, allowing 4.2 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Pittsburgh's National League No. 1-rated defense.

Pittsburgh was a 2-0 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Cubs. They won as -120 favorites, while the total score of 2 made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Pittsburgh threw a shutout at Chicago in their last outing, using a shutdown performance by Francisco Liriano to defeat Chicago 2-0 on Friday.




Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
Before playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After a win are 6-4

Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 4-6
Before playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After playing Pittsburgh are 2-8
After a loss are 3-7

A few Pirates at Cubs trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing Chi Cubs
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chi Cubs' last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chi Cubs' last 10 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Chi Cubs' last 18 games at home
Chi Cubs are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Chi Cubs, Sunday, June 9