ALAN HARRIS



6 Unit Play. Take #933 Chicago Cubs -130 over Pittsburgh Pirates (8:05 PM, Wednesday, October 7)


The Chicago Cubs will look to advance to the NLDS with a win over the Pirates when the two teams meet tonight at PNC Park in Pittsburgh in the National League Wild Card Game. Jake Arrieta, who is our pick for the NL Cy Young Award, will get the start tonight for Chicago. He has posted a 22-6 record with a 1.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 33 starts here in 2015 for the Cubs and he comes into the game tonight with numbers even better than that since the All-Star Break, where he was 12-1 with an ERA of 0.75. Arrieta will be opposed by Gerrit Cole, who has also pitched well this season for the Pirates. He has gone 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.09 ERA over 32 starts for Pittsburgh and he’s had some success versus the Cubs in his career, going 7-1 with a 2.88 ERA.

The Cubs, who finished one game behind the Pirates in the NL Central, have been very good in the spot they are in here tonight. They have gone 26-9 in their last 35 games against teams from the NL Central and they have posted a perfect 9-0 record in their last nine road games. The Pirates, on the other hand, have actually struggled a bit in the spot they are in here tonight as they have gone just 1-5 in their last six home games when facing a team with a winning record on the road.

Throw in the fact that the Cubs are 7-1 in Arrieta’s last eight starts versus Pittsburgh, including a perfect 4-0 at PNC Park and we’ll lay the small price with the Cubs on the road to get the win and advance to the NLDS to take on the Cardinals