Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates: Preview & Prediction
By Sascha Paruk in MLB Baseball
Updated: April 10, 2018 at 11:37 am EDTPublished:
The Northside faithful had to wait one extra day for their team’s 2018 home opener — which was already the latest in the MLB — thanks to a snow-out in yesterday’s Cubs vs Pirates game, which is now scheduled for 2:20 PM ET today (April 10) at Wrigley Field. The pitching matchup remains the same: Joe Maddon sends newcomer Tyler Chatwood to the mound against Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova.
Is it going to be a case of delayed gratification for Cubs fans or will the surging Pirates ruin the homecoming? The opening odds, key stats, betting trends, weather forecast, and score prediction are below.
Opening Odds
| MONEYLINE | RUNLINE | O/U RUNS |
|---|---|---|
| PIRATES (+132) | PIRATES +1.5 — OFF | UNDER — OFF |
| CUBS (-142) | CUBS -1.5 — OFF | OVER — OFF |
When the Cubs signed Chatwood this offseason, they were hoping that his uninspiring 4.28 career ERA was a product of five years at altitude with the Rockies. Early returns are mixed. Chatwood went six innings in his first start and gave up just four hits and one run in a 1-0 loss to the Reds. But he also walked six batters after finishing last year with the fourth-most walks in the MLB (77).
Nova, meanwhile, got the better of Detroit in his first outing — six hits, three walks, two runs over 5.0 innings — but he was touched up for five runs in just 5.1 innings by the Twins next time out en route to a 7-3 loss.
Team Stats
| 5-4 (0-0 Home) | RECORD | 7-2 (3-0 Away) |
| Tyler Chatwood: 0-1, 1.50 ERA | PROBABLE STARTER | Ivan Nova: 0-1, 6.10 ERA |
| .216 BA, .634 OPS (in 97 at-bats) | LINEUP VS OPPONENT STARTER | .233 BA, .538 OPS (in 43 at-bats) |
| 0.94 (1st in MLB) | BULLPEN ERA | 5.67 (27th in MLB) |
| .699 (17th in MLB) | TEAM OPS | .814 (2nd in MLB) |
| 10-9 (4-5 Home) | 2017 HEAD-TO-HEAD | 9-10 (5-4 Away) |
Betting Results & Trends
| CUBS | TREND | PIRATES |
|---|---|---|
| Won 2 | WIN/LOSS STREAK | Won 1 |
| 3-2 | LAST 5 | 3-2 |
| 5-4 | RUNLINE RECORD | 6-3 |
| 3-6 | OVER/UNDER SPLIT | 6-3 |
| Under 2 | OVER/UNDER STREAK | Under 1 |
The Cubs come into their home opener on the heels of a 3-0 win over Milwaukee, their second shutout in as many games.
The Pirates also head to Wrigley after an impressive shutout win, blanking the Reds 5-0 on Sunday.
Weather Forecast at Opening Pitch
| TEMPERATURE | 44° |
| HUMIDITY | 43% |
| WIND SPEED | SW 7 MPH (out to left field) |
| P.O.P. | 0% |
Score Prediction
| PIRATES | 3 |
| CUBS | 4 |
Even though neither pitcher inspires much confidence, don’t expect a high-scoring game. As we’ve seen with the Indians and White Sox recently, the cold weather is keeping scores relatively low, and Chatwood and Nova actually have decent numbers against the opposing lineup.
The Pirates’ lineup is also overachieving. Not one of their players was projected to finish with an OPS over .824 at the start of the year, per FanGraphs. At the moment, the entire team has an .814 OPS. They will come back to Earth, and soon.
Managing Editor
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.
