The Chicago Cubs (41-27) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (28-41) square off for NL Central action on Thursday at 8:05 p.m. ET. The Cubs are moneyline favorites (-198) against the underdog Pirates (+163). Jameson Taillon starts for Chicago while Pittsburgh will counter with Andrew Heaney.

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Cubs vs. Pirates betting lines

• Favorite: Cubs (-198)
• Underdog: Pirates (+163)
• Over/under: 7.5

Cubs betting info, hitting leaders, & pitching

Cubs betting info

• The Cubs have compiled a 32-13 record in games they were listed as the moneyline favorite (winning 71.1% of those games).
• Chicago has gone 8-1 when playing as moneyline favorites with odds of -198 or shorter (88.9% winning percentage).
• The Cubs have an implied moneyline win probability of 66.4% in this matchup.
• Chicago has played in 68 games with set over/under, and have combined with opponents to go over the total 36 times (36-28-4).
• The Cubs have covered 52.9% of their games this season, going 36-32-0 ATS.

Cubs hitting info

• Kyle Tucker is batting .274 with 12 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 46 walks.
• In MLB action, Tucker ranks 21st in homers and 19th in RBI.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong has shown off his power as he paces his team with 17 home runs.
• Crow-Armstrong ranks eighth in homers and fifth in RBI among hitters in MLB.
• Seiya Suzuki has racked up a team-best 56 runs batted in.
• Suzuki takes a three-game hitting streak into this game. During his last five outings he is batting .273 with two home runs and three RBIs.
• Nico Hoerner is hitting .288 to pace his team.
• Hoerner heads into this matchup on a two-game hitting streak. In his last five games he is batting .278 with a double, a walk and an RBI.

Cubs pitching rankings

• The 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings compiled by the Cubs pitching staff ranks 25th in the majors.
• Chicago has a 3.71 team ERA that ranks 10th across all MLB pitching staffs.
• The Cubs have the 15th-ranked WHIP in the majors (1.248).
• Cubs pitchers combine to surrender the 16th-fewest home runs in baseball (73 total, 1.1 per game).
• Chicago struck out nine Phillies batters while giving up 10 hits in a 7-2 loss in its last game.

Pirates betting info, hitting leaders, & pitching

Pirates betting info

• This season, the Pirates have won 19 out of the 47 games, or 40.4%, in which they’ve been the underdog.
• Pittsburgh has a record of 5-5 in games where bookmakers have it as underdogs of at least +163 on the moneyline.
• The oddsmakers’ moneyline implies a 38% chance of a victory for the Pirates.
• Pittsburgh and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 27 of its 69 opportunities.
• The Pirates have an ATS record of 32-37-0 in 69 games with a spread this season.

Pirates hitting info

• Oneil Cruz leads Pittsburgh in home runs this season with 13 while driving in 29 runs.
• Cruz’s home run total ranks 21st in the majors, and he is 93rd in RBI.
• Cruz enters this game on a three-game hitting streak. In his last five games he is batting .222 with a double, a home run, four walks and an RBI.
• Bryan Reynolds is a key run producer for Pittsburgh with a .233 average, eight homers and 39 RBI.
• Reynolds is 89th among batters in the majors in home runs, and 30th in RBI.
• Andrew McCutchen’s batting average of .263 leads all Pittsburgh hitters this season.
• McCutchen enters this game on a five-game hitting streak. In his last five games he is hitting .400 with two doubles, a home run, a walk and six RBIs.
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa is batting .298 with an OBP of .350 and a slugging percentage of .378 this season.

Pirates pitching rankings

• The Pirates strike out just 7.5 batters per nine innings as a pitching staff, which ranks 28th in MLB.
• Pittsburgh has pitched to a 3.79 ERA this season, which ranks 14th in baseball.
• The Pirates have a combined 1.205 WHIP as a pitching staff, ninth-lowest in MLB.
• With just 56 homers allowed, the Pirates rank third in the league at preventing long balls.
• Pittsburgh earned a 5-2 win in its most recent game, striking out eight Marlins batters while allowing seven hits.