Major League Baseball fans get an early Tuesday afternoon treat when the Cubs host the Pirates at 2:20 p.m. ET. The game was originally scheduled to be played on Monday, but snow postponed the Chicago's home-opener. The Cubs are -144 on the money line, meaning it would take a $144 bet on Chicago to win to return $100.
Before you make any kind of pick, you need to see what SportsLine's advanced computer has to say.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, entered Saturday on a blistering 19-11 run on its top-rated MLB selections. Anybody who has been following it is up big.
Now, the computer has simulated this divisional rivalry between the Pirates and Cubs 10,000 times and locked in a strong money-line pick that you can only get over at SportsLine.
The model knows that the Cubs, who have won three of their last four games, are the last major league team to hold their home-opener. They started the season with five wins in nine games on the road and will be eager to get back to Wrigley Field.
They're 9-3 in their last 12 home games against a right-handed starter, while the Pirates are just 1-7 in Ivan Nova's last eight starts. And the Cubs are 13-5 in their last 18 divisional matchups.
The model also knows that the Pirates' bats have been booming so far, averaging over six runs a game. But Cubs pitchers have also been stellar, posting a sub-3.00 ERA in their first nine games.
Chicago excelled at home in 2017, racking up a 48-33 record, but Pittsburgh won five of their nine meetings at Wrigley Field.
Nova will face Tyler Chatwood, who's 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA. The computer model is predicting Chatwood to strike out five Pirates in five innings.
So which side should you be all over? And where does the value lie? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Pirates-Cubs money line you need to back, all from the computer model that entered the weekend on a 19-11 run on its top-rated MLB selections.
