The Pittsburgh Pirates host Chicago on Thursday, looking to build on their 54-55 mark against the 46-65 Cubs in MLB betting action at PNC Park.

James McDonald will take the mound for Pittsburgh, and he'll carry a 7-5 record into the contest. Rodrigo Lopez gets the ball for Chicago; he's 2-2 so far this season.



View Chi Cubs vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Pirates were listed as -154 moneyline favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 9 earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Pirates, most recently No. 13 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Cubs, who rate a National League No. 11 in the latest survey.



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. 15 in the National League at 5 runs allowed per game. The Pirates have been averaging 8.1 hits per game, less than the Cubs have managed so far this season (9 hits on average).

Comparing defensive stats, Chicago owns the National League's No. 16-rated road mark, allowing 5.1 runs per game on the highway. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, rates No. 13 in scoring at home.

Last time out for Chicago, they were a 1-0 Sportsbook as they battled the Pirates on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Cubs at -111 were rewarded, while the 1 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Cubs didn’t allow a single run in their last start, as their staff shut out Pittsburgh 1-0 on Wednesday at PNC Park.




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

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing San Diego are 2-8
After playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After a loss are 2-8

A few Cubs at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games at home


Next up:
Chi Cubs home to Cincinnati, Friday, August 5
Pittsburgh home to San Diego, Friday, August 5