The Pittsburgh Pirates host Chicago on Saturday, looking to build on their 72-65 mark against the 52-86 Cubs in MLB betting action at PNC Park.

The Pirates will rely on James McDonald to turn in a quality outing on the mound in this one, while Jeff Samardzija will be his counterpart for the Cubs. James McDonald is 12-7 this season, and Jeff Samardzija is 8-13.



View Chi Cubs vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had set the Pirates as -155 favorites on the Sportsbook moneyline for this contest. The over under opened at 7.5 for bettors hoping to turn a profit on totals.

Power Rankings:
The Pirates sit at No. 13 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Cubs sit at a National League No. 15 on the same chart.



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 8.2 hits per game. The Cubs average 7.9 hits per game, good for No. 15 on the National League list.

Comparing defensive stats, Chicago owns the National League's No. 15-rated road mark, allowing 5 runs per game on the highway. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, rates No. 11 in scoring at home.

Last time out for Chicago, they were a 12-2 Sportsbook as they battled the Pirates on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Cubs at +180 were rewarded, while the 14 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Chicago enjoyed a laugher in their last game on Friday, running up a 12-2 score against the Pirates.




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

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 10-0
Before playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After playing Chi Cubs are 8-2
After a loss are 3-7

A few Cubs at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Chi Cubs are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Pittsburgh's last 20 games at home
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home


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