The Pittsburgh Pirates look to emerge victorious in MLB odds action as the Cubs arrive at PNC Park on Thursday.

The Pirates will rely on Jeff Locke to turn in a quality outing on the mound in this one, while Chris Rusin will be his counterpart for the Cubs. Jeff Locke is 9-5 this season, and Chris Rusin is 2-3.



View Chi Cubs vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Pirates were listed as -172 moneyline favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 8 earlier at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 8 (Pirates) and the No. 10 (Cubs) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to getting on base, the visiting Cubs rank No. 14 in the National League at 8.2 hits per game. That compares with Pittsburgh’s No. 10 ranking in that category.

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Pittsburgh has the National League's No. 3-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Cubs own the National League's No. 9 mark in runs allowed.

Chicago lost its last outing, a 6-0 result against the Reds on September 11. Bettors who backed the Reds at -181 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (6) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Chicago didn't plate a single run in their last outing, shut down by Mike Leake in a losing cause, 6-0, against Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh was a 7-5 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Rangers. They won as +122 underdogs, while the total score of 12 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. The Pirates grabbed a win last time out, defeating Matt Garza and the Rangers 7-5 on Wednesday at Rangers Ballpark.


Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Pittsburgh are 2-8
After playing Cincinnati are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Chi Cubs are 7-3
After playing Texas are 4-6
After a win are 5-5

A few Cubs at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs' last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Chi Cubs' last 13 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games


Next up:
Chi Cubs at Pittsburgh, Friday, September 13