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The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs square off on Wednesday with first pitch set for 7:40 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. The Cubs will start with Drew Smyly on the mound, and the Pirates starter is TBA.
Pittsburgh (15-21) is going through a major offensive slump at the plate recently and hasn’t scored in the first two games of this series. The Pirates starter has yet to be announced as of this writing, but they scored just six runs over their last six games. Ke’Bryan Hayes is having a great season with a .390 on-base percentage but has gone hitless in his last three games.
Chicago (15-20) outscored the Pirates 16-0 in the first two games of this series and will look for their fifth consecutive victory. Smyly has a 3.64 ERA over his first six starts with the Cubs despite coming in with a 1-4 record. Chicago ranks in the middle of the pack when it comes to offensive production, led by Ian Happ, who has a .400 on-base percentage this season.
Pirates vs. Cubs
Pitchers: TBA vs. Drew Smyly
First pitch: 7:40 p.m. ET
Pirates local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
Cubs local broadcast: Marquee Sports Network
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: Cubs -160, Pirates +140
Picks & predictions
Moneyline pick: Cubs -160
Eventually, the Pirates will come out of this offensive slump but with the way Smyly has thrown early on, it’s tough to assume this will be the day they get out of it. The Cubs have used one big inning in the first two games of this series, but they should complete the sweep on Wednesday night.
Player prop pick: Drew Smyly under 4.5 strikeouts (-135)
Smyly has pitched against the Pirates twice already this season. In those outings, he struck out one batter in the first start and four in the second. Smyly has had exactly four strikeouts in each of his last five starts. Take the under here.
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