The visiting Pirates hope for a solid performance on Tuesday as they look to steal a win at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.

AJ Burnett, with a record of 12-3 on the season, gets the ball for the Pirates, while the Cubs trot Ryan Dempster to the mound in this one. He is 5-5 so far in 2012.



View Pittsburgh vs Chi Cubs Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Cubs were listed as -115 moneyline favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 999 earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Cubs, most recently No. 14 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Pirates, who rate a National League No. 13 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Chicago's No. 14-rated National League offense, averaging 3.8 runs per game, against a Pirates defense that ranks No. 4 in the National League at 3.8 in runs allowed per game. The Cubs have averaged 8.3 hits per game so far, more than Pirates batters have averaged on the year (8.1 hits per game).

Chicago owns the National League's No. 10 defense, allowing 4.4 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Pittsburgh's National League No. 4-rated defense.

Pittsburgh lost its last outing, a 14-4 result against the Cubs on July 30. Bettors who backed the Cubs at +109 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (18) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. Pittsburgh was scored on plenty on Monday, falling behind early and watching runners cross the plate all game in a 14-4 loss to Chicago.




Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Tuesday are 4-6
Before playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After playing Chi Cubs are 7-3
After a loss are 6-4

Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Tuesday are 1-9
Before playing Pittsburgh are 3-7
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a win are 7-3

A few Pirates at Cubs trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Pittsburgh's last 15 games
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs
Pittsburgh is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
Chi Cubs are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs' last 8 games
Chi Cubs are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Chi Cubs, Wednesday, August 1