The Chicago Cubs host the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 15, 2025. First pitch from Wrigley Field is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on SportsNet PT.
Find my MLB betting preview and Pirates vs Cubs prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
My Pirates vs Cubs Prediction
- Pirates vs Cubs pick: Under 9 (-115)
My Pirates vs Cubs best bet is on the under 9 total runs. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Pirates vs Cubs Odds, Spread
| Pirates Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -127 | 8.5 -119o / -102u | +158 |
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +105 | 8.5 -119o / -102u | -194 |
Pirates vs Cubs Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) | Stat | RHP Colin Rea (CHC) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-2 | W-L | 9-5 |
| 0.6 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.7 |
| 3.19/3.73 | ERA /xERA | 4.09/4.80 |
| 2.81/3.81 | FIP / xFIP | 4.67/4.49 |
| 1.36 | WHIP | 1.29 |
| 12.6% | K-BB% | 11.0% |
| 50.0% | GB% | 38.1% |
| 107 | Stuff+ | 93 |
| 102 | Location+ | 100 |
Mike Ianniello’s Pirates vs Cubs Preview
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview: Ashcraft's Debut Season and an Underwhelming Lineup
After starting the season ranked as one of the Pirates' top five prospects, pitcher Braxton Ashcraft earned his big-league call-up and made his Major League debut out of the bullpen on May 26. Despite being a starter throughout the minors, Pittsburgh has been easing him into the rotation and primarily using him out of the bullpen. In 18 appearances, he made just two starts.
Doing what they can to protect him has worked, as the results have been pretty solid. Ashcraft has a 3.19 ERA across his 18 appearances, with 33 strikeouts in 36 innings. He has allowed one run or fewer in 14 of his outings, although he has not pitched more than 3 1/3 innings yet.
After failing to invest anything into the offense, Pittsburgh has fallen to the bottom of the league in scoring. This offense is dreadful and consistently fails to give its pitching staff any run support. They have hit the fewest home runs in the league, more than 15 fewer than the next closest team.
To make matters worse, Oneil Cruz recently landed on the injured list. He leads the team with 18 home runs and is the only player to be somewhat feared in this lineup. Pittsburgh does not have a single player on its roster with an OPS over .725.
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview: Rea Battles Inconsistent Offense
The second half of the year has not been as kind to Colin Rea as the start, but he is still sitting on a career-best 4.09 ERA through 24 appearances. Through the first 10 starts, Rea was brilliant with a 2.38 ERA. Then the negative regression hit and he has pitched to a 4.82 ERA over the last 15 starts.
It hasn’t all been bad for Rea, just a few dud outings mixed in throughout the second half. He has still allowed one run or fewer in five of his last seven starts. He is coming off a one-run, six-strikeout performance against St. Louis.
Chicago’s offense has gone ice-cold at the plate. This is a team that was the best in baseball for a good portion of the season. They still rank top five in scoring, wOBA, and rRC+. However, since the start of August, the Cubs have fallen to 29th in the league in wRC+ and wOBA.
All of Chicago’s top hitters have gone cold at the same time. Pete Crow-Armstrong has gone an abysmal 3-for-41 this month. Kyle Tucker isn’t much better at 6-for-40. As a team, the Cubs have more strikeouts than hits and only two players have an OPS over .700 in August.
Pirates vs Cubs Prediction, Betting Analysis
Only one team has scored fewer runs than the Cubs since the start of August. They rank 29th in wRC+ and wOBA over the last two weeks. Their bats have gone ice cold, and the cold spell has hit the entire lineup. Tucker and PCA are a combined 9-for-81 (.111) over the last two weeks.
On the other side, Pittsburgh’s offense has been underwhelming all season long. They have scored the fewest runs in the league and have hit 17 fewer home runs than any team in the league. Their most dangerous hitter is Oneil Cruz, and he is on the injured list.
Pittsburgh has done a good job limiting Ashcraft’s workload to keep him out of trouble to start his career. He is coming off his best outing and he keeps the ball on the ground more than 50%. He throws a fastball that averages 97 miles per hour with a terrific slider and curveball combo to strike hitters out.
I expect both pitchers to be able to navigate these struggling lineups and keep this score under the total on Friday afternoon.
Pick: Under 9 (-115, Fanatics)
Moneyline
No play here.
Run Line (Spread)
No play here.
Over/Under
Fade these two struggling offenses and back the under on Friday afternoon.
Pirates vs Cubs Betting Trends
