The Pirates played the late game on Thursday night, completing a sweep of the White Sox.
Now, the club will travel all the way from Chicago to… Chicago. Pittsburgh is back in the NL Central, visiting Wrigley Field and the Cubs for your standard matinee on Friday afternoon.
Let’s dive into this divisional clash and make a pick on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Pirates vs. Cubs prediction, preview
I don’t want to sound any alarms among those in the friendly confines, but the Cubs need to start winning again, as the team is only 2.5 games up on the Padres and three games up on the Diamondbacks in the National League Wild Card standings. There was a time when Chicago making the postseason seemed like a given. We are no longer in those times, as the Cubbies have dropped four in a row coming into Friday’s action.
As such, they’ll turn to Shota Imanaga to try and stop the bleeding. Despite his constant home run woes — no pitcher has given up more long balls than Imanaga so far this season (33) — the southpaw has mostly been good over the past two months, pitching to a 3.35 ERA and a 3.91 xERA dating back to July 19. It’s a stretch where Imanaga is surrendering a concerning 2.05 opponent home runs per nine, but the effects of those mistakes have been lessened by a microscopic 4.0% walk rate and a 1.12 WHIP. The former NPB ace might concede too many homers, yet at the very least, a majority are solo shots. That’s been key.
Meanwhile, thanks primarily to a recent Braxton Ashcraft (arm) IL stint, it appears the Pirates will be countering with a bullpen game this afternoon. Wilber Dotel will draw the first “start” of his career, while the likes of the Khristian Curtis and Antwone Kelly will almost surely be involved in some capacity. Both have exactly 17 starts at the Triple-A level in 2026, so they’ll have the ability to work multiple innings, if need be. You know who will not be available out of the pen today? Mason Montgomery and Luke Weaver. Pittsburgh’s closer and set-up man each worked a leverage inning on Wednesday and Thursday night.
Unfortunately for Dotel, Curtis and Kelly, this will not be an easy matchup. The Cubs lead MLB in runs scored (780) and wRC+ (115) for the season as a whole, and they’ve only hit better recently. Over the last 14 days, Chicago ranks top of the heap in ISO (.227), wOBA (.370) and wRC+ (136) — and it does so by wide margins. Obviously, having the MVP frontrunner at the top of your lineup helps a bunch. Pete Crow-Armstrong has eight home runs in this two-week span and he’s now just four steals away from a 40/40 campaign. What can’t this guy do?
Pirates vs. Cubs pick, best bet
Best Bet: Cubs -1.5 (+109)
Chicago has the league’s best lineup and, on Friday, it has a distinct advantage on the mound. Not only is Shota Imanaga pitching well the past two months, but after an off day on Thursday, the team’s bullpen is rested. Add in the motivation of a Wild Card spot slipping away, and I think we see a very motivated Cubs squad. Take them on the run line.
