The Pittsburgh Pirates take the field at home at PNC Park for the first time this season as underdogs () against the Chicago Cubs () on Thursday at 1:35 PM ET. Jake Arrieta starts for Chicago while Pittsburgh will counter with Tyler Anderson.
The betting insights and predictions in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of April 8, 2021, 3:00 AM ET. See table below for current betting odds and CLICK HERE to bet at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cubs vs Pirates Betting Odds
Pitching Matchup
| Arrieta (CHC) | Pitcher | Anderson (PIT) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 0 | W/L | 0 – 1 |
| 6.0 | IP | 5.0 |
| 1.50 | ERA | 5.40 |
| 1.170 | WHIP | 1.400 |
| 7.5 | K/9 | 12.6 |
| 1.5 | BB/9 | 3.6 |
Cubs Probable Starter Jake Arrieta
- The Cubs were favored on the moneyline for one Arrieta start this season — they won.
Starting pitcher projections reflect team information as of April 8, 2021 at 6:08 AM ET and may change up to the start of game.
Pirates Stats vs Arrieta
| Player | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | OBP | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory Polanco | 50 | .200 | 10 | 3 | 7 | .245 | .645 |
| Adam Frazier | 20 | .200 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .273 | .673 |
| Colin Moran | 12 | .417 | 5 | 0 | 2 | .417 | 1.000 |
| Bryan Reynolds | 6 | .333 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .666 |
| Wilmer Difo | 6 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Kevin Newman | 5 | .200 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .400 |
| Jacob Stallings | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Dustin Fowler | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Erik González | 2 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.000 |
Pirates Probable Starter Tyler Anderson
- His team lost his only start as an underdog this season.
Starting pitcher projections reflect team information as of April 8, 2021 at 6:08 AM ET and may change up to the start of game.
Cubs Stats vs Anderson
| Player | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | OBP | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Rizzo | 13 | .385 | 5 | 1 | 2 | .385 | 1.000 |
| Kris Bryant | 11 | .364 | 4 | 2 | 3 | .417 | 1.326 |
| Javier Báez | 11 | .182 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .432 |
| Willson Contreras | 9 | .222 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .417 | .750 |
| Joc Pederson | 7 | .286 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .375 | .804 |
| Ian Happ | 5 | .200 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .367 |
| Jason Heyward | 4 | .250 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .500 |
| David Bote | 3 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .917 |
| Jake Marisnick | 2 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .500 | 1.000 |
Cubs Betting Trends
- Last season the Cubs scored the 20th-most runs in baseball (265 total, 4.4 per game).
- The Cubs won 24 of the 40 games they were listed as the moneyline favorite last season (60%).
- When playing as a moneyline favorite with odds of -143 or shorter, Chicago had a record of 16-10 (61.5%).
- In the 58 games oddsmakers set an over/under for Chicago, it combined with opponents to go over the total 28 times (28-28-2).
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Pirates Betting Trends
- The Pirates were underdogs 58 times last season and won 19, or 32.8%, of those games.
- Pittsburgh entered 49 games last season as the underdog by +125 or more and was 17-32 in those contests.
- Games involving Pittsburgh went over the total set by oddsmakers in 26 of 59 chances last season.
Cubs Players to Watch
- Ian Happ had 12 home runs and 28 runs batted in last season.
- Happ was not among league leaders in SLG and OBP among qualified batters in MLB.
- Willson Contreras hit .249 with 10 doubles, seven home runs and 19 walks.
- Among the qualified hitters in baseball, Contreras’ hits and batting average fell outside of league leaders.
Cubs Batting Stats (2020)
| Player | AB | AVG | R | HR | RBI | OBP | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javier Báez | 222 | .203 | 27 | 8 | 24 | .238 | .598 |
| Anthony Rizzo | 203 | .222 | 26 | 11 | 24 | .331 | .745 |
| Ian Happ | 198 | .258 | 27 | 12 | 28 | .358 | .863 |
| Willson Contreras | 189 | .249 | 37 | 7 | 26 | .357 | .770 |
| Jason Heyward | 147 | .265 | 20 | 6 | 22 | .389 | .845 |
| Kris Bryant | 131 | .206 | 20 | 4 | 11 | .293 | .644 |
| David Bote | 125 | .200 | 15 | 7 | 29 | .303 | .711 |
| Joc Pederson | 121 | .190 | 21 | 7 | 16 | .285 | .682 |
| Eric Sogard | 115 | .209 | 10 | 1 | 10 | .281 | .559 |
| Tony Wolters | 100 | .230 | 10 | 0 | 8 | .280 | .550 |
Pirates Players to Watch
- Colin Moran slugged 10 home runs and collected 23 RBI last season while batting .247.
- Moran did not rank in the top 20 in SLG and OBP among qualified hitters in MLB.
- Adam Frazier was a key run producer with a .230 average, seven homers and 23 RBI.
- Among qualified hitters, Frazier was not among league batting leaders in MLB in the league.
Pirates Batting Stats (2020)
| Player | AB | AVG | R | HR | RBI | OBP | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Frazier | 209 | .230 | 22 | 7 | 23 | .297 | .661 |
| Bryan Reynolds | 185 | .189 | 24 | 7 | 19 | .275 | .632 |
| Erik González | 181 | .227 | 14 | 3 | 20 | .255 | .614 |
| Colin Moran | 178 | .247 | 28 | 10 | 23 | .325 | .797 |
| Grégory Polanco | 157 | .153 | 12 | 7 | 22 | .214 | .539 |
| Kevin Newman | 156 | .224 | 12 | 1 | 10 | .281 | .557 |
| Jacob Stallings | 125 | .248 | 13 | 3 | 18 | .326 | .702 |
| Michael Perez | 84 | .167 | 7 | 1 | 13 | .237 | .475 |
| Phillip Evans | 39 | .359 | 6 | 1 | 9 | .444 | .931 |
| Anthony Alford | 28 | .214 | 5 | 2 | 7 | .241 | .741 |
Cubs vs Pirates Player Props
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