An afternoon baseball matchup pits two NL Central rivals against each other when the Pirates swashbuckle their way into Wrigley Field to take on the reigning World Series champs as +160 moneyline underdogs. Underachieving ace Gerrit Cole will go head-to-head with Kyle Hendricks in the matchup as the two righties look to put forgettable starts to the 2017 season behind them.
With a 9-2 record and an ERA of 1.32 in 14 home starts in the Cubs’ World Series-winning season, Kyle Hendricks was one of the best home-field pitchers in all of baseball and he’s a serious contender for the NL Cy Young Award in 2017.
The entire Pirates roster has earned just eight extra-base hits on Hendricks in 111 combined at-bats against the righty so if he’s sharp in his second start this afternoon, offense could be a little hard to come by.
Cole will have to be good if the Pirates have any hope of ending their losing streak today against one of the best-hitting teams in baseball but considering how poorly he’s pitched since the Midsummer Classic last year, I’m not expecting a no-hitter. As a Cole fantasy owner, I think he has a comeback season but I’m realistic about his ceiling today.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Chicago Cubs sport a record of 6-3 heading into this matchup, while the Pittsburgh Pirates sit at 3-6 on the season Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Chicago vs Pittsburgh injuries news.
It's a MLB baseball betting matchup between the No. 2-rated Chicago Cubs and the league No. 30-ranked Pittsburgh Pirates, according to the latest MLB power poll here at Odds Shark.
Statistical Matchup
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features the Chicago Cubs No. 17-ranked scoring average of 4.11 runs per game, against a Pittsburgh Pirates offense rated No. 28 and scoring 3.11 runs per game. The Cubs have averaged 8.44 hits per game to date this season, more than the Pirates hitters have managed (7.67 per nine innings).
Defensively, Pittsburgh features the No. 11-rated defense on the road, allowing 4 runs per game. Chicago, meanwhile, comes in at No. 27 at home, scoring 2.33 runs per game.
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Pittsburgh at Chicago, Saturday, April 15th