The Pirates will look to kick in the door the Cubs left cracked open on Friday night when the division rivals collide for the ninth time overall and fourth time at PNC Park this season.
You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Chicago was once the toast of the league bolting out to an unbelievable start and making their wagering supporters money hand over fist. Fast forward three weeks and they not only have the best record in either league, but they’re actually in the red for the season, -$125 to be exact – after dropping the second game of their series with the Reds Tuesday afternoon. The loss was only their twelfth overall at home, but Joe Maddon’s squad will hit the road for this one where they’ve won 26 of 45 overall (-$116).
It was starting to look like a lost season there for Clint Hurdle’s Buccos from the first third of June through the 23rd, but the team has bounced back in a big way taking series from the Dodgers and A’s while splitting with the Mariners before taking the first two against the Cardinals in St. Louis this week. A series win there would really have this team extremely confident heading into this must have series against a Chicago team that’s owned them of late. Pittsburgh sits three games over .500 at home ($6).
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Jake Arrieta isn’t throwing no hitters anymore. He isn’t throwing one hitters with 10+ Ks either. In fact, his last three starts have been rather pedestrian with him failing t0 put forth a quality start while conceding 10 ER through 15.1 innings pitched. Blame it on the ESPN the Mag shoot where he bared it all – Not! There’s nothing wrong here. He just needs to make some adjustments, and he’s flat out owned the Pirates this season going 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA and .103 batting average against.
Pitching has not been kind to the Pirates this season. The staff owns a collective 4.33 ERA which checks in at No. 16 overall. One of the reasons why is due to the really disappointing season Francisco Liriano is currently putting forth. His 5.34 ERA is the highest it’s been since that head scratching campaign back in 2012. He pitched to a 3.38 ERA the two seasons after. He does however enter start No. 17 off tallying his first win since the end of May, but still only managed to go five innings in that one. If he’s to log back-to-back wins for only the second time this season, he’s going to have to step up in a big way and keep his team in it against Chicago’s ace.
LIVE BETTING
It’s gotten to the point that Pittsburgh fans simply run away from anyone they see wearing a Cubs jersey on the streets. Since getting shutout in last year’s play-in game 4-0, the Pirates have logged just one win in nine tries. That’s utter domination and the games haven’t been all that close with Chicago a=outscoring the Buccos by the aggregate score of 58-21.
QUICK PICK
The Cubbies have terrorized south paws to date in going 19-8 and crushing them to the tune of 5.1 runs per game. Liriano has been all over the place and lacked consistency. With that, I simply don’t have enough faith in him to get the best of a Chicago lineup that’s already touched him up for 15 hits (4 HR) and 12 ER in his previous two starts against them this MLB season. It’s only a matter of time until Arrieta gets back on track, and that likely will occur here tonight against a Pittsburgh squad he flat out owns.
MLB Odds: Cubs 5, Pirates 2
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates is scheduled for Friday, July 8, 2016, at 7:05 p.m. ET at PNC Park. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
