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Carrie Stroup here with your Cubs vs. Pirates betting line for Wednesday night’s game. Sportsbook.ag Line: Chicago -142, Pittsburgh +132, Total: 7
CHICAGO CUBS (83-61) at PITTSBURGH PIRATES (87-57)
The Cubs and Pirates meet in Pittsburgh on Wednesday after splitting wins in Tuesday’s doubleheader.
The Cubs desperately needed a victory on Wednesday and they were able to win 2-1 in the second game of their doubleheader with the Pirates. Chicago had lost 5-4 in the afternoon game and it was the team’s third straight defeat, so picking up a win in the evening was very big.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, was on a four-game winning streak heading into Tuesday evening. The team has won seven of its past 10 and is feeling very confident heading into the final stretch of the season.
The starters in this game are going to be RHP Jake Arrieta (19-6, 1.99 ERA, 204 K) for the Cubs and RHP A.J. Burnett (8-5, 3.14 ERA, 117 K) for the Pirates. The Cubs are an incredible 10-0 against the money line on the road with a money line of -100 to -150 when Arrieta is on the mound this season. Pittsburgh, however, is 27-9 against the money line in home games when playing on a Wednesday over the past three seasons.
Chicago is going to be without OF Jorge Soler (Oblique) for the next couple of games and OF Starling Marte (Illness) should be in the lineup for Pittsburgh, as he played Tuesday night after missing Game 1 of the doubleheader.
Jake Arrieta has been absolutely dominant for the Cubs recently. He had pitched four straight games without allowing an earned run before giving up one in eight innings of work in a win over Philadelphia on Sep. 11. Over the past five contests, Arrieta has pitched 37 innings and struck out 8.2 batters per game while allowing just one earned run in total. The last time he pitched in Pittsburgh, Arrieta allowed no earned runs over 7.0 innings of work. He’ll be feeling good heading into this matchup on Wednesday.
After really struggling over the past few weeks, 1B Anthony Rizzo (.276, 29 HR, 89 RBI) came up big with an RBI in the 2-1 victory against the Pirates on Tuesday night. He has two career homers off of Burnett and will be looking forward to the matchup with him in this one.
Another guy that could really spark the Cubs is SS Starlin Castro (.255, 8 HR, 53 RBI). Castro has gotten a hit in eight of the past nine games and has really given Burnett fits in the past. He is 16-for-34 with three doubles and four RBI against the pitcher in his career. 3B Kris Bryant (.267, 24 HR, 92 RBI) will be looking to get back on track after going hitless in Tuesday’s doubleheader.
A.J. Burnett returned from a month long absence on Sep. 10, pitching five innings and allowing just three earned runs in a loss at home against the Brewers. The starter has now lost his last three starts, but he passed the eye test in his last appearance and should be able to get back on track moving forward. Burnett also has a very good matchup on Wednesday, as he has shut down the Cubs this season. In two starts against the team, Burnett has pitched 13.0 innings and allowed just one earned run.
The biggest concern for the Pirates on Wednesday will be getting to Jake Arrieta, who has really given them trouble this season. OF Andrew McCutchen (.301, 22 HR, 93 RBI) is the only player on this team who has gotten to Arrieta in the past. He is 8-for-18 with two doubles and an RBI in the matchup, but he has not homered.
1B Pedro Alvarez (.243, 23 HR, 69 RBI) is the only guy on the team who has gone yard against Arrieta, but he is just 2-for-15 overall against the pitcher. OF Starling Marte (.281, 16 HR, 69 RBI) went 1-for-4 in his return from an illness on Tuesday night. The Pirates will need him to get back on track immediately as his offense is extremely important to the team.
