The Chicago Cubs begin their weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cubs-Pirates prediction and pick.

The Cubs enter the series sitting at 22-16 on the year, which places them tied for first place in the NL Central. They did lose two of three to the Padres to start the week though. Meanwhile, the Pirates are sitting tied for third place, five games behind the Cubs and Brewers. They have lost two of their last three and sit 17-21 on the year.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cubs-Pirates Odds

Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-205)

Moneyline: +110

Pittsburgh Pirates: -1.5 (+168)

Moneyline: -130

Over: 7.5 (-102)

Under: 7.5 (-120)

How to Watch Cubs vs. Pirates

Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT

TV: MARQ/SNP

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cubs are 11th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 20th in batting average, 13th in on-base percentage, and 17th in slugging. Christopher Morel is having a great year. He is hitting just .211 on the year but with a .301 on-base percentage. He has three doubles, a triple, and eight home runs this year, leading to his 24 RIBs. That's the most on the team. Michael Busch is second on the team in RBIs this year. He is hitting .256 on the year with a .309 on-base percentage. He has six doubles and seven home runs, leading to 19 RBIs and 18 runs scored.

Leading the team in runs scored is Mike Tauchman. This may be because he is getting on base so much. He is sitting just .269 on the year but has a .402 on-base percentage. He has eight doubles and three home runs, leading to ten RBIs and 22 runs scored. Nico Hoerner

The Cubs are 13th in team ERA while sitting 15th in wHIP and 12th in opponent batting average. It will be Jameson Taillon on the mound for the Cubs in this one. He is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and a .88 wHIP. Last time out, he went six innings, giving up just two hits and no runs. In four starts this year, he has not given up more than one earned run in any of them. Current members of the Pirates have 60 career at-bats against Tallion. They are hitting .167 against him with three home runs and seven RBIs.

Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Pirates are 26th in the majors in runs per game while sitting 27th in batting average, 23rd in on-base percentage, and 29th in slugging. Bryan Reynolds has led the team this year. He is hitting .240 on the year with a .339 on-base percentage. Reynolds has eight doubles, a triple, and four home runs. This has led to his team-leading 17 RBIs. Further, he has scored 15 times, second most on the team. The most runs on the team belong to Connor Joe. He has scored 19 times this year while hitting .288 and having a .363 on-base percentage. He has nine doubles and three home runs, good for 15 RBIs this year.

Also having a solid year is Oneil Cruz. Cruzh has hit .252 this year with a .299 on-base percentage. He has four doubles and a team-leading five home runs. This has led to 11 runs scored this year and 15 RBIs. Meanwhile, Ke'Bryan Hayes has been solid this year as well. He is hitting .240 on the year with a .322 on-base percentage.e He has seven doubles and a home run, good for 11 RBIs. He has also scored 15 times this year.

The Pirates are 11th in the majors in team ERA while sitting eighth in wHIP and tenth in opponent batting average. Jared Jones will be on the mound for the Pirates in this one. He is 2-3 on the year with a 2.63 ERA. Last time out, he went seven innings without giving up a run and striking out ten. Jones has never faced a current member of the Cubs.

Final Cubs-Pirates Prediction & Pick

This should be a great pitching duel. Jameson Tallion has been great this year, and Jared Jones has been nearly as good. The big difference in this one will be on the offense. The Cubs are a solid offense capable of scoring runs, or at least manufacturing them. The Pirates do not do that nearly as well. The Pirates also lack power, and when Jones has given up runs, the long ball has been the issue. While taking the under could be a nice play, the best lay in this one is taking the Cubs.

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Final Cubs-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Cubs ML  (+110)