Like it or not, every team enters the season with a certain level of expectation placed on their heads. It wasn’t so very long ago that expectations for the Pittsburgh Pirates were low, but a solid few years now has that elevated to the point where postseason wins are expected. The Chicago Cubs have had low expectations in recent years, too, but an exciting young ball club has those levels creeping ever higher. These two teams will meet for a 3-game series in Chicago, with Game 3 set for Saturday afternoon and the online betting odds favoring the home team.
Taking a Look at the Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Online MLB Odds Report & Game Info
Time: Saturday, 4:05 p.m. ET Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago National TV: Fox Sports 1 Opening line: Cubs -112, Pirates +102 (total TBA)
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Gerrit Cole reaches for the stars http://t.co/UXMIhSR3uV #LetsGoBucs
— Larkin Page-Jacobs (@wesaLarkin) May 14, 2015
It’s fair to say that the Pittsburgh Pirates (17-18) are underachieving this season, and that they need to get things in order pretty quickly if they hope to stay in touch with the Cardinals at the top of the NL Central division. There are a number of concerns that need to be addressed before that can happen, and it all has to start with their hitting. Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer are both having nightmare starts to the season, although Jung Ho Kang is starting to look more and more like a guy whose name might routinely be included in the starting line-up. Consistency has been an issue for the Pirates, and after going on a 4-game winning streak that made it look as though they had turned a corner, they then go and lose 2-straight to the lowly Phillies. Gerrit Cole (5-1, 2.32 ERA) will take to the mound for the Pirates on Saturday, and that is good news. Cole has been the most consistent performer in the starting rotation, and the Pirates win more often than not when he gets the ball.
Just when it looked as though the Chicago Cubs (19-15) might be on the slide, they bounce right back and sweep the Mets in a 4-game series. That series helped the Cubs get back to winning ways at Wrigley Field, and now puts them 4 games over .500 on home turf. They are still 5 games back of the Cardinals for top spot in the division, but they are well ahead of where everyone expected them to be. Keeping things in perspective, this has been an excellent start for a young team that most believed to still be a year or two away from being really good. Jon Lester (3-2, 4.10 ERA) will get the start, and will be looking to steady the ship a little, as starting pitching has been a bit of a problem for the Cubs in the past couple of weeks.
