Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/26/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Venue:  PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +109, Pirates -131; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +110, Pirates -130; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +110, Pirates -130; Over/Under:  8 runs

Chicago Cubs:  29-24 (3rd place, NL Central)

Pittsburgh Pirates:  27-26 (5th place, NL Central)

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Chicago Cubs:  2-8 last 10

Pittsburgh Pirates:  4-6 last 10

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 3-game series against the Houston Astros 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 29-24 record overall and have a road record of 11-13. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Pirates on Tuesday with the series opener still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 8th in the MLB with a .724 OPS. Ben Brown is their starting pitcher on Monday while Jordan Wicks is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA this season. He is making his season debut in this game.

The Pirates are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 27-26 record overall and have a home record of 13-13. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 11th in the MLB with a .716 OPS. Carmen Mlodzinski is their starting pitcher on Monday while Braxton Ashcraft is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA this season. His team won 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 9 strikeouts on 4 hits through 7 innings pitched against the St Louis Cardinals.

The current betting odds have the Pirates listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pirates have looked good in their games this season with their 27-26 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark though with their 13-13 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 29-24 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They haven't been a good road team though with their 11-13 road record this year. The Pirates are 4-6 in their last 10 games and haven't looked great lately, but the Cubs are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have been in a terrible slump. They aren't going to have a great pitching matchup in this one either. The Cubs are going with Wicks in this one and he is making his 1st start of the season in this game, but he hasn't looked great throughout his career and can't be trusted in this 1st start against a Pirates offense that hasn't been bad. The Pirates are also going with Ashcraft in this one and he has looked great in his starts this season. He is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start which has been a common theme for him and the team has been having success too, winning 3 of their last 4 games with him starting. The Pirates are going to have a big edge at home with the starters in this game and they can take advantage of the Cubs in this really bad slump at the moment. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pirates to win this game. 

Cubs Pirates Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, May 26, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Pirates 4 Cubs 1.

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Chicago Cubs: 209-176 (+11.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 169-127 (+28 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 59-54 (+6.6 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better. 10-4 OVER as a road underdog of +100 or higher.

Pittsburgh Pirates: 175-202 (-17.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 72-57 (-7.3 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 56-68 (-10.4 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 11-4 OVER as a favorite of -125 to -175.

Chicago Cubs:  E. Cabrera (SP) Day To Day - Finger. M. Shaw (RF) Ten Day IL - Back. M. Boyd (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. R. Martin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. P. Hodge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Horton (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Tricep. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Austin (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Miller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  R. O'Hearn (RF) Ten Day IL - Quad. J. Bart (C) Ten Day IL - Foot Infection. C. Devenski (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Illness. J. Jones (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“I think necessary days off that kind of day game travel here, how they’re doing just to give them a mental break. Mental break is probably more what I’d say, physical always, but there’s a mental break in there, too.” - Craig Counsell on keeping Nico Hoerner out of the lineup. 

"Yeah, he was looking a little bit tired there. Just trying to find ways to get him back. I mean 162 is a long, long season and finding ways to get him to DH, getting him an off day the other day and he had a big home run for us yesterday, which is great to see." - Don Kelly on changing up the outfield.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Ian Happ (S) LF

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Michael Conforto (L) RF

Pedro Ramírez (S) 2B

Moisés Ballesteros (L) DH

Miguel Amaya (R) C

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Spencer Horwitz (L) 1B

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Bryan Reynolds (S) RF

Nick Gonzales (R) 3B

Oneil Cruz (L) CF

Marcell Ozuna (R) DH

Konnor Griffin (R) SS

Jhostynxon Garcia (R) LF

Henry Davis (R) C

Batting Average:  Pedro Ramírez (.400)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (53)

Home Runs:  Ian Happ (10)

RBI:  Nico Hoerner (31)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (12)

Wins:  Shota Imanaga (4)

Saves:  Daniel Palencia (3)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Batting Average:  Endy Rodríguez (.316)

Hits:  Oneil Cruz (54)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (13)

RBI:  Oneil Cruz (34)

Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz (16)

Wins:  Paul Skenes (6)

Saves:  Gregory Soto (5)

ERA:  Evan Sisk (1.61)

Managers:

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)

Pittsburgh Pirates: Don Kelly (2nd season)