The Pittsburgh Pirates and our Chicago Cubs will square off at Wrigley Field on Sunday, August 17, 2025, in the finale of their series. The Cubs, who have a winning record, are expected to beat the struggling Pirates. The game boasts a pitching matchup of Javier Assad for the Cubs and Carmen Mlodzinski for the Pirates, with both clubs likely going to their bullpens early and often.
Cubs vs. Pirates: Game Day Information
The series wraps up on Sunday, August 17, 2025, with a 1:20 p.m. CDT first pitch at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
TV Channel: MARQ and SportsNet PT
Live Stream: Fubo (subject to regional restrictions)
Betting Odds and Predictions
The Cubs are heavy favorites in this matchup, with moneyline odds of around -201. The Pirates are the underdogs at +165. The over/under for the game is 8 runs.
Key Takeaways:
Cubs are -201 moneyline favorites.
Pirates are +165 moneyline underdogs.
Over/under established at 8 runs.
Score Prediction: Cubs 5, Pirates 4
Total Prediction: Over 8 runs
Pitching Matchup Analysis
Javier Assad (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will go for the Cubs, his second start of the year. In his last appearance, he gave up four earned runs in four innings. Carmen Mlodzinski (2-7, 4.20 ERA) will start for the Pirates, as an apparent opener for a bullpen game. Mlodzinski has been more effective as a reliever this year.
Team Statistics and Trends
Chicago Cubs:
Record: 69-53
Home Record: 37-23
Offense is 7th in MLB with 5.00 runs a game.
Ranked 7th in MLB with 170 home runs.
Team batting average of .252 (8th in MLB).
7.7 strikeouts per game strikeout rate (4th in MLB).
Pittsburgh Pirates:
Record: 52-72
Road Record: 18-43
Ranked last in MLB with 3.52 runs per game. Ranked last in MLB with 88 home runs.
Team batting average of .231 (27th in MLB).
Strikeout rate of 8.7 per game (23rd in MLB).
Key Player Matchups
Seiya Suzuki (Cubs): Leads the Cubs with 27 home runs and 86 RBIs. He’s batting .251 and has given recent indication of bouncing back from a mid-season slump.
Nico Hoerner (Cubs): Batting .294 to pace the Cubs and is on a four-game hitting streak.
Bryan Reynolds (Pirates): 61 RBIs lead the Pirates and is batting .264.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Pirates): Hitting .267 to lead the Pirates.
Betting Trends and Analysis
The Cubs are a solid home team and have been favored in most of their games this season, going 55-31 as the favorite. The Pirates, however, have struggled as underdogs, going 35-51 when not favored. The betting trends point toward the Cubs, as the moneyline has moved in their favor, and the total has moved down slightly, indicating confidence in them.
Let´s Go Cubs!
The post Cubs Favored at Home Against Pirates in Sunday Series Finale August 17 appeared first on UrbanMatter.
