The Chicago Cubs (30-26) snapped their 10-game losing streak in a 10-4 win on Wednesday at Pittsburgh (29-27). Chicago has lost five straight series, but have the chance to tie Pittsburgh in this four-game series with a win today.
Chicago was in the dumps until yesterday’s win. The Cubs were firmly in first place of the NL Central 11 games ago, but are now 4.5 games back of the Brewers. The Cubs are hitting .212 over the last week (24th) with the second-most walks (27). Chicago’s pitching staff has struggled lately with a 5.54 ERA (27th) over the last six games and a 5.43 ERA (28th) in the past 13.
Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak was snapped on Wednesday, but luckily the Pirates turn to their ace, Paul Skenes in the series finale. Pittsburgh has lost Skenes’ last two starts, 5-2 and 6-0, but are 6-5 on the year. Skenes has 26 strikeouts to two walks in four starts this month and 47 strikeouts to two walks over his previous seven starts.
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 the how to catch first pitch, 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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Game details & how to watch Cubs at Pirates
- Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026
- Time: 6:40 PM EST
- Site: PNC Park
- City: Pittsburgh, PA
- Network/Streaming: MLB TV
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Odds for the Cubs at the Pirates
The latest odds as of Thursday:
- Moneyline: Pittsburgh Pirates (-175), Chicago Cubs (-155)
- Spread: Cubs +1.5 (+147), Pirates -1.5 (+128)
- Total: 7.5
Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Pirates
- Thursday’s pitching matchup (May 28): Paul Skenes vs. Colin Rea
- Cubs: Colin Rea
2026 stats: 54.0 IP, 4-3, 4.83 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 44 Ks, 17 BB
2026 Stats: 60.0 IP, 6-4, 3.00 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 65 Ks, 9 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not
- The Cubs’ Alex Bregman is hitting .261 with 58 hits and 80 total bases over 222 at-bats
- The Cubs’ Ian Happ is hitting .215 with 42 hits and 75 strikeouts over 195 at-bats
- The Pirates’ Brandon Lowe is hitting .269 with 52 hits, 14 home runs, and 108 total bases over 193 at-bats
- The Pirates’ Marcell Ozuna is hitting .186 with 32 hits and 56 strikeouts over 172 at-bats
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Pirates
- The Pirates are 29-27 ATS and 15-14 ATS at home
- The Pirates are 8-10 on the ML as a home favorite
- The Pirates are 18-11 to the Over at home, ranking fifth-best
- The Pirates are 13-5 to the Over as a home favorite, ranking third-best
- The Cubs are 22-34 ATS, ranking fourth-worst
- The Cubs are 10-17 ATS on the road, ranking third-worst and 4-5 ATS as an away underdog
- The Cubs are 31-24-1 to the Over
- The Cubs are 16-10-1 to the Over as the road team, ranking sixth-best
- The Cubs are an MLB-best 7-2 to the Over as a road underdog
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Pirates
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
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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 Thursday’s game between the Rockies and the Dodgers:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Pirates on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Pirates at -1.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 7.5
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