In the second of a three-game series between the Chicago Cubs (83-47) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (67-62) at Wrigley Field, Kyle Hendricks (12-7, 2.19 ERA) and Chad Kuhl (3-1, 3.50 ERA) get the ball. The Cubs won the last game 8-7, and Chicago leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 8:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 30 and will air on WGN, RTPT and MLBN.
In his most recent outing, Hendricks pitched 6.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out eight and walking two in a 6-3 victory over the Padres. Kris Bryant (.305, 109 Rs, 35 HRs, 89 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with two runs. The Pirates were victorious over the Brewers 3-2 the last time Kuhl pitched. He went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs, striking out five and walking two. David Freese (.273, 55 Rs, 12 HRs, 49 RBIs) has been doing well, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run.
Chicago is a considerable -215 favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is currently unavailable. The Cubs perform well as a favorite with a 77-38 record and have an overall money line of +160. They have impressive records of 32-14 as the favorite and 34-16 SU within their division. Chicago has averaged 6.0 runs per game during divisional play, higher than its season average of 5.1. The Cubs typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an NL-high 4.0 walks per game. The Chicago pitching staff has been dominant, only giving up 3.4 runs per game, which is best in the NL. The Cubs lead the league in WHIP at 1.120. They have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, averaging 8.9 strikeouts per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Pirates come into this game with a win percentage of .536 when playing as the underdog (30-26) and an overall money line of +226. Against divisional rivals, they are 25-24 SU and 8-11 as the underdog. Within their division, Pittsburgh’s offense has been struggling. Pittsburgh has averaged 4.1 runs per game, compared to 4.5 for the duration of the season. The last 10 games have really brought the best out of the Pittsburgh pitchers. They’ve allowed 3.3 runs per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 4.4.
The Cubs had the upper hand against the Pirates in their previous 13 games this season, earning a 10-3 record. The Cubs will take on a right-hander (Kuhl) in this game and have a 55-33 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Hendricks will take the mound against the Pirates, who have a 49-53 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC
Notes
In their last game, the Pirates lost by a margin of one run. The Cubs are 17-19 in one-run games. The Pirates have an 18-16 record in close games.
Pittsburgh has won 45% (27-33) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Chicago has won 67% (45-22) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Pirates managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are heading in with a 28-7 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Pirates are 43-10. The Cubs have a 70-14 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 15th, Pittsburgh sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 588 this season. Chicago ranks in the top five at third with 663.
Chicago ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 528 this season. Pittsburgh ranks in the top 10 with 426.
When the Cubs hit at least one home run, they are 62-24, well-matched with the Pirates who are 48-28 when hitting one or more homers.
