Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/15/2023

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Thursday, June 15, 2023

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MARQ

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +140, Cubs -165; Over/Under:  6.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +140, Cubs -160; Over/Under:  7 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Pirates +140, Cubs -165; Over/Under:  7 runs

Pittsburgh Pirates:  34-31 (1st place, NL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  29-37 (4th place, NL Central)

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Pittsburgh Pirates:  6-4 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  4-6 last 10

The Pirates are entering this game off of a loss in their last game but won their 3-game series against the New York Mets 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 34-31 record overall and have a road record of 16-15. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Thursday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .733 OPS. Rookie pitcher Osvaldo Bido is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Johan Oviedo is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 3-5 with a 4.16 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 5 Ks on 4 hits through 6.1 IP against the New York Mets.

The Cubs are entering this game off of a win in their last game and won their 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 29-37 record overall and have a home record of 16-16. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Thursday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 17th in the MLB with a .718 OPS. Drew Smyly is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Marcus Stroman is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 7-4 with a 2.42 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 4 BB with 5 strikeouts on 6 hits through 6.2 innings played against the San Francisco Giants.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pirates have been having a really good season as they are fighting for the lead of the NL Central right now but lately they have been slipping up as they start to lose more games. The Cubs haven't been great this season with their losing record but they have been a lot better in their home games where they are for this series and they also have Stroman starting here who has been their best starter in the rotation all season. He hasn't given up many runs at all in his starts all year and with the Pirates offense starting to go cold over the last week, he will have no problems shutting down their lineup here. Oviedo is up for the Pirates and he has also been good lately but he hasn't been nearly as good as Stroman has been and the Cubs offense has been a lot better in their last few games. The Cubs are going to put up runs in this game and take advantage of a Pirates team starting to regress once again as of late. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game.

Pirates Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, June 15, 2023 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Cubs 5 Pirates 1.

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Pittsburgh Pirates: 34-32 (+5.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 10-6 (+7 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 10-5 UNDER against division opponents. 8-2 UNDER after allowing 8 runs or more 2 straight games.

Chicago Cubs: 30-37 (-6.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 13-21 (-8.6 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. MARCUS STROMAN is 11-3 UNDER in all games and 6-1 UNDER in home games.  

Pittsburgh Pirates:  V. Velasquez (SP) out for season - Elbow. W. Crowe (SP) Late June - Shoulder. J. Choi (1B) Early July - Achilles. J. Brubaker (SP) out for season - Elbow. O. Cruz (SS) Mid Aug - Ankle. J. Garcia (RP) Out indefinitely - Bicep. M. Kranick (SP) Late Aug - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  B. Hughes (RP) Out indefinitely - Knee. C. Heuer (RP) Late June - Elbow. N. Burdi (RP) Late July - Appendix. J. Steele (SP) Prob Sat - Forearm. C. Bellinger (CF) Late June - Knee. E. Rios (DH) Out indefinitely - Groin. B. Boxberger (RP) Late June - Forearm. A. Sampson (SP) Out indefinitely - Knee. E. Roberts (RP) out for season - Elbow.

“When you see someone of his caliber of player that’s chasing a milestone and staying consistent with their approach 100%, there’s no better model for young players than watching a veteran player handle himself like that.” - Derek Shelton on Andrew McCutchen after his team’s win against the Mets in their game on Sunday.

“I thought we swung the bats well. Obviously the Morel homer there toward the end was a big exclamation point. Up and down the lineup, we had some really hard-hit balls. I thought we could have put the game out of reach even a little earlier.” - David Ross after his team’s win against the Pirates in their game on Tuesday.

Tucupita Marcano (L) SS

Bryan Reynolds (S) DH

Jack Suwinski (L) CF

Carlos Santana (S) 1B

Connor Joe (R) LF

Josh Palacios (L) RF

Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B

Ji Hwan Bae (L) 2B

Austin Hedges (R) C

Mike Tauchman (L) CF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Ian Happ (S) LF

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Matt Mervis (L) 1B

Miles Mastrobuoni (L) DH

Nick Madrigal (R) 3B

Tucker Barnhart (L) C

Batting Average:  Drew Maggi (.333)

Hits:  Bryan Reynolds (66)

Home Runs:  Jack Suwinski (15)

RBI:  Bryan Reynolds (38)

Stolen Bases:  Ji Hwan Bae (19)

Wins:  Mitch Keller (8)

Saves:  David Bednar (14)

ERA:  Yerry De Los Santos (0.00)

Batting Average:  Nico Hoerner (.281)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (68)

Home Runs:  Patrick Wisdom (14)

RBI:  Nico Hoerner (29)

Stolen Bases:  Nico Hoerner (15)

Wins:  Marcus Stroman (7)

Saves:  Adbert Alzolay (3)

ERA:  Anthony Kay (0.00)

Managers:

Pittsburgh Pirates: Derek Shelton (4th season)

Chicago Cubs: David Ross (4th season)