At PNC Park on Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates (62-68) take on the Chicago Cubs (65-66), fellow members of the NL Central, at 6:40 p.m. ET.
The Pirates are favored (-113) in a projected close Game against the Cubs (-106). The Pittsburgh Pirates will hand the ball to Mitch Keller (11-7, 3.76 ERA), who is looking for win No. 12 on the season, and the Cubs will turn to Jameson Taillon (8-8, 3.77 ERA).
The Pirates won their most recent contest versus the Reds by a 4-3 score yesterday, with Aroldis Chapman picking up the win pitching throwing one inning without giving up an earned run on one hit, while striking out two. Yasmani Grandal went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI to lead them offensively.
The Cubs lost to the Marlins yesterday, with Javier Assad registering the loss while pitching seven innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits while striking out three. Ian Happ went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI to pace the Cubs’ offense.
Here is what you need to prepare for Monday’s Pirates vs. Cubs contest, including viewing options.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs 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: Pirates (-113, bet $113 to win $100)
- Underdog: Cubs (-106, bet $106 to win $100)
- Over/under: 8.5
Pirates vs. Cubs: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Monday, August 26, 2024
- Game Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
- Stadium: PNC Park
- TV Channel: SportsNet Pittsburgh
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Pirates stats and trends
Pirates betting records
- This season, the Pirates have been favored 47 times and won 27, or 57.4%, of those games.
- Pittsburgh has a record of 25-19, a 56.8% win rate, when favored by -113 or more by oddsmakers this season.
- The moneyline for this contest implies a 53.1% chance of a victory for the Pirates.
- Games involving Pittsburgh have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 61 of 130 chances this season.
- The Pirates are 73-56-0 against the spread this season.
Mitch Keller (Pirates probable starter)
- Keller makes the start for the Pirates, his 26th of the season. He is 11-7 with a 3.76 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings pitched.
- The right-hander’s last time out came on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, when he tossed seven scoreless innings while giving up three hits.
- The 28-year-old has put up a 3.76 ERA and 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 25 games this season, while giving up a batting average of .246 to his opponents.
- Keller has 13 quality starts this year.
- Keller will look to build on a three-game streak of pitching five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.9 innings per appearance).
- He has held his opponents without an earned run in five of his 25 appearances this season.
- He will match up with a Cubs squad that is hitting .236 as a unit (22nd in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .389 (20th in MLB) with 139 total home runs (18th in MLB).
- Keller has thrown six innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits while striking out three against the Cubs this season.
- This season, the 28-year-old ranks 35th in ERA (3.76), 39th in WHIP (1.213), and 39th in K/9 (8.1) among pitchers who qualify.
Pirates batting stats
- The Pirates have hit just 127 homers this season, which ranks 26th in the league.
- Hitters for Pittsburgh have combined to rank 26th in MLB with a slugging percentage of only .370 this season.
- The Pirates have a team batting average of .234 this season, which ranks 23rd among MLB teams.
- Pittsburgh has scored the 23rd-most runs in the majors this season with 537 (4.1 per game).
- The Pirates are among the worst in the league at getting on base, ranking 27th with an OBP of .300.
- Pittsburgh ranks just 27th in MLB in strikeouts per game with an average of 9.3 whiffs per contest.
Cubs stats and trends
Cubs betting records
- The Cubs have been victorious in 32, or 47.8%, of the 67 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
- This year, Chicago has won 28 of 60 games when listed as at least -106 or worse on the moneyline.
- The Cubs have an implied victory probability of 51.5% according to the moneyline set by oddsmakers for this matchup.
- Chicago and its opponents have gone over in 58 of its 131 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
- The Cubs have an against the spread record of 59-71-0 in 130 games with a line this season.
Jameson Taillon (Cubs probable starter)
- Taillon (8-8) takes the mound first for the Cubs in his 23rd start of the season. He’s put together a 3.77 ERA in 126 2/3 innings pitched, with 101 strikeouts.
- In his last outing on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, the righty tossed five innings, giving up four earned runs while surrendering six hits.
- Over 22 games this season, the 32-year-old has put up a 3.77 ERA and 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .256 to opposing batters.
- Taillon is trying to secure his 12th quality start of the year in this matchup.
- Taillon will look to prolong a five-game streak of lasting five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.7 innings per appearance).
- He has held his opponents without an earned run in two of his 22 appearances this season.
- He will take the mound against a Pirates offense that ranks 21st in the league with 1030 total hits (on a .234 batting average). The squad also slugs a collective .370 (26th in the league) with 127 total home runs (26th in MLB action).
- Taillon has a 5.79 ERA and a 1.714 WHIP against the Pirates this season in 4 2/3 innings pitched, allowing a .316 batting average over one appearance.
Cubs batting stats
- The Cubs average 1.1 home runs per game to rank 18th in MLB action with 139 total home runs.
- This season, Chicago ranks 20th in baseball with a .389 slugging percentage.
- The Cubs rank 22nd in the majors with a .236 batting average.
- Chicago scores the 16th-most runs in baseball (559 total, 4.3 per game).
- The Cubs’ .311 on-base percentage is 15th in the majors.
