Cubs vs Pirates Odds, Picks & Predictions (June 23)

• The Cubs vs Pirates odds favor Chicago as -115 moneyline favorites on Thursday (June 23rd, 12:35 pm ET)
• Chicago will send Justin Steele (2-5, 4.27 ERA) to the mound, while Pittsburgh will counter with Jose Quintana (1-4, 3.66 ERA)
• Read below for the Cubs vs Pirates odds, analysis and betting prediction

Nobody expected the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates to be playoff contenders this season, but few expected them to both be this bad through three-plus months of baseball. Chicago and Pittsburgh are each double digit games below .500, and their recent play doesn’t offer much encouragement.

Entering play Wednesday night, the Cubs had dropped 13 of 15 games. Not to be outdone, the Pirates had lost 10 of 12 before stringing a pair of victories together against Chicago.

The NL Central rivals will close out a four-game set on Thursday afternoon, and to no one’s surprise oddsmakers are expecting a close contest between these underwhelming clubs.

Cubs vs Pirates Odds

Odds as of June 22nd at Caesars Sportsbook. See available Caesars Sportsbook promo codes. 

Chicago opened up as -115 moneyline favorites, in a contest that features a total of 8.5. First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 pm ET at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA, with clear skies and 79 degree temperatures in the forecast.

Chicago vs Pittsburgh Starting Pitchers

If perusing the World Series odds board, you’ll have to scroll down all the way to the bottom to find Chicago and Pittsburgh’s price. The Cubs have been the more disappointing of the two teams, as they are on pace to finish 15 games below their projection in the MLB win totals.

They’ll give the ball to sophomore Justin Steele on Thursday, who’s been one of the few bright spots lately. Steele has allowed two runs or less in three straight starts, lasting at least 7 innings in two of those outings.

Justin Steele has yielded 4 ER in 19 IP (1.89 ERA) in three June starts! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9BV7xO21vY

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 18, 2022

He’s made one career start at PNC Park and it was an absolute gem. The 26-year-old pitched 7 innings of shut out ball last September in a 9-0 win, scattering four hits while striking out seven.

Steele vs Quintana

The Pirates will counter with former Cub Jose Quintana. The veteran lefty will be looking to bounce back from three straight rocky outings, and the Chicago lineup is the perfect candidate to do so against.

Quintana has faced the Cubs twice this season, yielding just three runs and eight hits over 10 innings of work. He’s pitched much better at home than on the road, posting a 3.18 ERA at PNC Park this season compared to a 4.44 mark as a visitor.

Cubs vs Pirates Betting Analysis

Entering play on Wednesday night, the Chicago bats had been suffering from a serious power outage. They managed only two runs total in the first two games of their series with Pittsburgh, and had scored three or fewer runs in nine of their previous 14 outings.

They get virtually all of their production from number two through four hitters, with Ian Happ and Patrick Wisdom providing the bulk of the team’s power.

4-RBI night for @PatrickWisdom5, who has homered in back-to-back games!#DailyWisdom pic.twitter.com/9DwzIsHvOA

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 23, 2022

The duo, along with Wilson Contreras as the the only three Chicago regulars with a slugging percentage north of .386, and an OPS greater than .717.

Pittsburgh meanwhile, has been just as cold at the plate. Prior to this series they were averaging only three runs per game over their previous 12 outings.

Good afternoon,

Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Ke’Bryan Hayes leads all of Major League Baseball with a 29 DRS

That’s 15 more than the “better” player, Nolan Arenado pic.twitter.com/a0yEFh5qMQ

— Pirates Strong 💪 (@PiratesStrong) June 16, 2022

Ke’Bryan Hayes is off to a fine start to the campaign with a 2.7 WAR, but no one else has a WAR above 1.2. Only two other regulars, Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski, are north of 0.6. Entering play Wednesday, Hayes and Reynolds shared the team lead in RBI with 22, which is 44 less than the Major League lead.

CHC vs PIT Last 10 Meetings

Cubs vs Pirates Pick

It will probably surprise no one given those poor recent offensive numbers that Chicago and Pittsburgh are the NL’s two lowest scoring teams. The Pirates boast the worst slugging percentage and OPS in the NL, while the Cubs aren’t far behind.

One look at their past 10 meetings reveals both teams are capable of outlier offensive performances, but we shouldn’t expect that on Thursday.

Steele is in terrific form, while Quintana is a crafty southpaw that’s proven twice already this season he can handle the Chicago bats.

Pick: Under 8.5 (-110)