This is an 8* on OVER

The Pirates and Cubs started their series yesterday and the home team took the opener by a score of 6-5. It was not the most deserved win for the Cubbies, but after a disastrous August they’ll take a “W” anyway they can get it. In this instance, it was a mishandled pop fly by Pirates second baseman Wilmer Difo in the 11th inning that brought home the winning run. The Cubs did have 12 hits to the Pirates’ 7, so in that regard they did deserve to win. But their first five runs of the game all came in the seventh inning. It was the fourth straight win over the Pirates going back to May. The Cubs have now won three in a row overall. The Pirates wasted a perfectly good start from Mitch Keller last night. They are unlikely to get the same kind of outing here today from Steven Brault. Not only is Brault winless in his five starts this year, but he is coming off his worst performance yet. He gave up seven runs in three innings on Saturday. The Cubs have not been a good opponent for Brault. He is 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA against them in 16 appearances, which includes seven starts. Similarly, Cubs starter Alec Mills hasn’t been good in the past against the Pirates. He’s 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA in seven career matchups. The wind is expected to be blowing out today at Wrigley. With that bit of news, two subpar starting pitchers and the Over 4-0-1 the last five games at Wrigley, we’re going Over. Play on OVER

AAA