The Pittsburgh Pirates (40-56) pay a visit to Wrigley Field to open a 2-game set against the Chicago Cubs (38-57) Monday. The series lid-lifter is slated to get underway at 8:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Pirates vs. Cubs odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: Pittsburgh leads 8-5. The Pirates have not won a season series against the Cubs since 2014.
The Pirates opened the second half by dropping 2-of-3 games to the Miam i Marlins. In games bracketing the All-Star break, the Bucs are 2-6 over their last 8 contests. Pittsburgh bats have produced all of a .570 OPS during that stretch.
The Cubs return to Wrigley after a 3-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phi llies. A club that struggled offensively heading into the break (.564 OPS July 6-17) scored 25 runs in 3 games at Philadelphia.