The MLB is back on Monday as the Chicago Cubs will play their first home of the season in a divisional battle against the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Wrigley Field. The Cubs will start this game with the experienced right-hander Tyler Chatwood. On the other side, the Pirates will give the confidence to the 31-year old right-hander Ivan Nova.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Ivan Nova will be getting the third start of the season for the Pirates. Nova has not started this campaign well as he allowed five runs in 5.1 innings against the Twins last time out, and he was marked with his first loss of the campaign. In relation to this game, the 31 old right-hander conceded 10 runs in 16.2 innings against the Cubs in the previous season. Moreover, he has a 2-1 record with a 4.09 ERA in 22 career innings against the Cubs.
On the bright side, Gregory Polanco is having a good start of the campaign with sporting .280 average combined with two home runs and 11 RBI’s. In relation to this game, He has achieved six homers and 16 RBI’s in the last three years against the Chicago Cubs. The Pirates are ranked second in the Majors with an average of 6.62 runs per game.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs will head into this game as Tyler Chatwood will start for the second time this season. In his debut for the Cubs, Chatwood had a good game as he was able to limit the Reds to one run in six strong innings. Nevertheless, there was not enough support for Chatwood during the game as was charged with the loss. Chatwood has a good record against the Pirates as he shut them down twice in his two starts and conceding only two runs in 12 innings.
On the bright side for the Cubs, Javier Baez is starting to gain some good form, driving in an impressive three runs with four walks in his last three matches. Javier Baez is only hitting .154 on the season with zero homers, yet he was the ability to drive in four runs. The 25-year old second baseman has had a good success in the games against the Pirates, posting a .289 average with 17 RBI’s in the last three MLB campaigns. The Chicago Cubs current form is averaging 4.50 runs per game, placing them on the 15th spot in the Majors. Their pitching has been good, sporting a 2.88 team ERA, which placed them as fourth in the MLB.
Although I expect an interesting game, I think that the Cubs will be the winners.Chatwood looked very sharp and in a good form in his debut game for the Cubs. His record is good against the Pirates and has limited them to only two runs in 12 career innings. On the other side, Nova does not have a good record against the Cubs. He did not have a good game at Wrigley Field last season, serving up seven runs in 9.2 innings in the two games against the Cubs.
My Free Pick & Prediction for Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs today on 4/8/2018 is: Take the Chicago Cubs -153 (money line bet)
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