Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 8/18/19 MLB Predictions & Odds

Cubs vs. Pirates Prediction

The Chicago Cubs managed to get a road win on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Can the Cubs grab a series victory today at 7:10PM ET

Game Snapshot & Odds

963 Chicago Cubs vs. 964 Pittsburgh Pirates

Sunday, August 18, 2019

7:10PM ET – PNC Park

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Public Betting Trends

According to oddsmakers, the Cubs are favored on the road, as they are getting odds of -160 to win, while the Pirates are listed with odds of +130 to win. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 9.5 runs. The public betting for the contest currently has 71 percent going on the Pirates on the road. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.

Cubs end losing skid

The Chicago Cubs ended their losing streak on the road on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over the Pirates. The Cubs are 65-58 on the season, 24-39 on the road and 62-56 with the under. Chicago has Jose Quintana getting the start today. He is 10-7 on the season with a 4.11 ERA.

There wasn’t much hitting on Saturday as both teams combined for just eight hits. The Cubs got their first run in the seventh on a Kris Bryant solo home run while the second run came on an error in the eighth. Jon Lester got the win on the mound. He threw six scoreless innings, but did walk five while striking out just three. Lester improves to 10-8 on the year. Rowan Wick got his first save with a perfect ninth.

Pirates get shutout

Pittsburgh was unable to build off a win over the Cubs on Friday, suffering the 2-0 loss to Chicago yesterday afternoon. The Pirates are 51-71 on the season, 25-33 at home and 70-48 with the over. Pittsburgh has Mitch Keller getting the start this evening. He is 1-1 on the year with a 7.94 ERA.

Steven Brault pitched well for the Pirates on Saturday, but still took his second loss. He threw seven innings and allowed just one run on two hits with eight strikeouts. Pittsburgh mustered just three singles and one double in the loss. Adam Frazier would pick up the double as the lone hitting highlight.

MLB Betting Trends

Chicago

The Cubs are 11-26 in their last 37 road games and 9-19 in their last 28 games on the road against division opponents.

Pittsburgh

The Pirates are 8-21 in their last 29 games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season.

Prediction:

Keller has seen limited action this year, but he did look competitive in his last outing against the Angels after being away for nearly two months. He gave up just one earned run over five innings. Quintana is coming off three straight solid starts, allowing four earned runs over 19 innings. He has thrived against the Pirates this year, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.70 ERA over three starts. Hitting hasn’t been a strength for either team in this series, but I think the Cubs can manufacture some runs off Keller while the Pirates may struggle once again with Quintana. I will take my chances on the Cubs to put together back-to-back road wins.

MLB Prediction: Chicago Cubs -160