Cubs vs. Pirates Prediction
Can the Cubs beat the Pirates tonight at 8:15PM ET behind a strong performance from Jake Arrieta?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Cubs are -135 money line favorites to beat the Pirates, who have odds of +115 to pull off the upset at home. With Arrieta set to face Ivan Nova in the pitching matchup, the over/under currently sits at 8.5 runs.
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Latest on Arrieta from Rotoworld: Arrieta is dealing with a cut on his right thumb. “It just comes from throwing — it’s not like he’s been cut by a knife or anything,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s just one of those skin issues where your finger actually splits a little bit, so we backed off on his throwing in between starts last time. We’ll probably do the same thing this time.” Arrieta is currently lined up to start Saturday in Pittsburgh, and at this point it appears he’ll still make that start. However, going into an outing with an issue with your pitching thumb obviously isn’t ideal for a guy who’s already been underperforming.
Nova pitched a sharp game in Sunday’s win over the Marlins, allowing just one hit over six shutout frames. Lovely work from Nova, who struck out four without walking a batter on the afternoon. He finished up his six strong innings having thrown 77 pitches (60 for strikes). He has been dealing with a bit of knee inflammation, hence why the Pirates opted to sit him down with such a low pitch count. Nova will bring a 2.38 ERA and 1.01 WHIP into a home start against the Cubs in his next scheduled outing.
Bet Tonight’s Cubs vs. Pirates Game
OUR PREDICTION: The thumb injury is a concern for Arrieta but the Cubs are 48-21 in his last 69 starts overall and 13-3 in his last 16 road starts versus a team with a losing record. Thus, Chicago is worth it at what feels like a discounted price. Plus, the Pirates are just 1-4 in their last five games coming off a loss and are winless at 0-4 in Nova’s last five starts versus National League Central opponents.
SATURDAY MLB PREDICTION: CHICAGO CUBS -135
