It’s Wednesday, April 30 and the Cubs (18-12) are in Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates (11-19). Matthew Boyd is slated to take the mound for Chicago against Carmen Mlodzinski for Pittsburgh.
The Cubs won the series opener, 9-0 yesterday behind 5.0 innings from Shota Imanaga and four different players hitting a homer. The Pirates didn’t get a runner in scoring position until the fifth inning and the bullpen could be taxed after using five relief pitchers because Andrew Heaney failed to reach 5.0 innings.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Odds for the Cubs at the Pirates
The latest odds as of Wednesday:
- Moneyline: Cubs (-171), Pirates (+143)
- Spread: Cubs -1.5
- Total: 8.0 runs
Game details & how to watch Cubs at Pirates
- Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Time: 6:40 PM EST
- Site: PNC Park
- City: Pittsburgh, PA
- Network/Streaming: MARQ, SNP
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Probable starting pitchers for the Cubs at Pirates
- Pitching matchup for April 30, 2025: Matthew Boyd vs. Carmen Mlodzinski
- Cubs: Matthew Boyd, (2-2, 2.54 ERA)
Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts - Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinski, (1-3, 6.96 ERA)
Last outing: Innings Pitched, Earned Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Walks, and Strikeouts
- Cubs: Matthew Boyd, (2-2, 2.54 ERA)
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Pirates
Rotoworld Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Pirates to win outright:
“Coming off a 9-0 win with four homers is one way to set the tone in the series. However, the Pirates stealing one win today or tomorrow is likely and at +140 or better, the Buccos are in play. Pittsburgh is rolling with the bullpen today and will need runs. The Buccos had had multiple RISP from the fifth inning on but were not able to capitalize against Imanaga, but Boyd shouldn’t be much of an issue.”
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Cubs and the Pirates:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Chicago Cubs on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pittsburgh Pirates at +1.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Pirates
- Betting the Cubs on the Money Line in all their road games this season is showing a 128% return on investment
- Each of the Cubs’ last 3 games at the Pirates have gone over the Total
- The Cubs have covered the Run Line in 3 straight games at the Pirates
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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