Pirates vs. Cubs: Picks, predictions, how to watch Monday’s game

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs square off on Monday with first pitch set for 8:05 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. JT Brubaker (2-8, 4.02 ERA) will start for the Pirates with Adrian Sampson (0-1, 3.34 ERA) throwing for the Cubs.

Pittsburgh (40-56) lost two of three games against the Miami Marlins over the weekend heading into this two-game series. Brubaker made 18 starts this season and is coming off an outing where he threw 7 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts last week against the Marlins. The Pirates rank No. 28 in runs per game (3.6), and they traded away their RBI leader Daniel Vogelbach over the weekend.

Chicago (38-57) swept the Philadelphia Phillies in their first series out of the break, capped off by a 4-3 win on Sunday. Sampson will make his eighth appearance and sixth start in 2022, and he is coming off an outing where he allowed 2 runs over 5.1 innings against the New York Mets. The Cubs rank No. 8 in on-base percentage (.320), and Patrick Wisdom leads the team in home runs (17) and RBIs (47).

Pirates vs. Cubs

Pitchers: JT Brubaker vs. Adrian Sampson
First pitch: 8:05 p.m. ET
Pirates local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh
Cubs local broadcast: Marquee Sports Network
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Cubs -1.5 (+140)
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Cubs -145, Pirates +125

Moneyline pick: Cubs -145

Chicago is better in just about every major statistic by a fairly sizeable margin over Pittsburgh this season, and the Cubs are worth a wager even with a smaller payout. Chicago may even have the better pitcher in this matchup, though Sampson has only played in 17 MLB games since the end of the 2019 season.

Player prop pick: JT Brubaker Over 5.5 strikeouts (+100)

This is a fantastic bet, and you’re getting great odds on the Pirates starter to reach 6 strikeouts. Brubaker is a strong strikeout thrower with a 9.3 K/9 and struck out at least 6 batters in each of his last four starts. The Cubs strike out 8.9 times per game, which is the fourth most in the MLB.

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