On Monday, a clash of NL Central rivals is on the docket, with the Chicago Cubs (71-66) hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates (63-73) at 7:40 p.m. ET.
The Pirates are road underdogs (+123) at the Cubs (-146). The Cubs will give the ball to Jameson Taillon (9-8) versus the Pirates and Jared Jones (5-7).
The Cubs won their most recent contest versus the Nationals by a 14-1 score yesterday, with Jordan Wicks picking up the win pitching going five innings, giving up one earned run on four hits. Dansby Swanson went 4-for-6 with a double and an RBI to lead them offensively.
The Pirates lost to the Guardians yesterday, with Mitch Keller getting the loss while pitching 5 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on 11 hits while striking out seven. Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 1-for-3 to pace the Pirates’ offense.
Prepare for the Cubs vs. Pirates with what you need to know before Monday’s game, including viewing options.
Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates odds and betting lines
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Monday at 9:16 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Favorite: Cubs (-146, bet $146 to win $100)
- Underdog: Pirates (+123, bet $100 to win $123)
- Over/under: 7.5
Cubs vs. Pirates: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Monday, September 2, 2024
- Game Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Wrigley Field
- TV Channel: SportsNet Pittsburgh
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Cubs stats and trends
Cubs betting records
- This season, the Cubs have been favored 65 times and won 35, or 53.8%, of those games.
- Chicago has entered 28 games this season favored by -146 or more and is 20-8 in those contests.
- The implied probability of a win from the Cubs, based on the moneyline, is 59.3%.
- Games involving Chicago have gone over the total set by oddsmakers in 63 of 137 chances this season.
- In 136 games with a spread this season, the Cubs are 64-72-0 ATS.
Jameson Taillon (Cubs probable starter)
- The Cubs will send Taillon (9-8) to make his 24th start of the season as he tries for his 10th victory. He is 9-8 with a 3.85 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 133 1/3 innings pitched.
- In his most recent time out on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the righty tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs while surrendering eight hits.
- The 32-year-old has an ERA of 3.85, with 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings, in 23 games this season. Opponents are hitting .258 against him.
- Taillon has 11 quality starts under his belt this season.
- Taillon will try to build on a six-game streak of going five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.8 innings per outing).
- In two of his appearances this season he did not allow an earned run.
- The opposing Pirates offense has the 25th-ranked slugging percentage (.373) and is 26th in MLB play with 134 home runs. It has a collective .236 batting average, and is 22nd in MLB with 1092 total hits and 22nd in MLB play scoring 572 runs.
- Taillon has a 5.56 ERA and a 1.412 WHIP against the Pirates this season in 11 1/3 innings pitched, allowing a .304 batting average over two appearances.
Cubs batting stats
- The Cubs rank 19th in Major League Baseball with 145 home runs.
- Hitters for Chicago have combined for a team rank of 18th in the majors with a .395 team slugging percentage.
- The Cubs rank 16th in MLB with a .241 team batting average.
- Chicago has scored 626 runs (4.6 per game) this season, which ranks 13th in MLB.
- The Cubs have the 11th-best on-base percentage in MLB this season (.316).
- Chicago ranks 17th with an average of 8.5 strikeouts per game.
Pirates stats and trends
Pirates betting records
- The Pirates have come away with 34 wins in the 83 contests they have been listed as the underdogs in this season.
- This season, Pittsburgh has been victorious 16 times in 43 chances when named as an underdog of at least +123 or worse on the moneyline.
- The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Pirates have a 44.8% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
- Pittsburgh and its opponents have hit the over in 65 of its 136 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
- The Pirates have an against the spread record of 74-61-0 in 135 games with a line this season.
Jared Jones (Pirates probable starter)
- Jones (5-7 with a 3.88 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Pirates, his 18th of the season.
- In his most recent appearance on Tuesday, the righty threw four innings against the Chicago Cubs, giving up five earned runs while surrendering five hits.
- In 17 games this season, the 23-year-old has an ERA of 3.88, with 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .224 against him.
- Jones enters the outing with nine quality starts under his belt this season.
- Jones will try to secure his 15th matchup of five or more innings pitched this season. He averages 5.6 innings per appearance.
- He has had three appearances this season that he kept his opponents to zero earned runs.
- The opposing Cubs offense has a collective .241 batting average, and is 20th in the league with 1108 total hits and 13th in MLB action with 626 runs scored. They have the 18th-ranked slugging percentage (.395) and are 19th in all of MLB with 145 home runs.
- Jones has thrown 16 innings, giving up 10 earned runs on 19 hits while striking out 15 against the Cubs this season.
Pirates batting stats
- The Pirates have hit 134 home runs this season, the fifth-lowest total in MLB play.
- So far this season, Pittsburgh ranks 25th in baseball, slugging .373.
- The Pirates rank 23rd in MLB with a .236 batting average.
- Pittsburgh scores the 22nd-most runs in baseball (572 total, 4.2 per game).
- The Pirates rank 26th in baseball with a .302 on-base percentage.