Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction – 9/16/2025
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs will face off on Tuesday night at PNC Park. Chicago won the first game of this series by shutout and will try to get another win over a Pirates team with little else to strive for late in the season than to play spoiler for a division rival. Before the action begins from Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, keep reading to get my Cubs vs Pirates prediction.
Our Cubs vs Pirates Pick
- Pick: Cubs moneyline
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆
- Get Your Bonus Bets: Click the Claim Bonus button to grab our DraftKings Sportsbook promo and bet $5 to win $200 in bonus bets INSTANTLY for this game!
Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets Instantly + Over $200 Off NFL Sunday Ticket
Gambling Problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-Gambler 21+ 
Gambling Problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-Gambler 21+
Promo Code: Click To Claim
Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets Instantly + Over $200 Off NFL Sunday Ticket
Gambling Problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-Gambler 21+
Promo Code: Click To Claim
Gambling Problem? Call or TEXT 1-800-Gambler 21+
Game Snapshot
- Head-to-Head: Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates
- Date & Time: Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 6:40 p.m. ET
- Starting Pitchers: Cade Horton vs Paul Skenes
- Stadium: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
- Broadcast: Marquee Sports Network in Chicago, SportsNet Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh
Key Storylines
- The Cubs are 86-64 and lead the NL Wild Card race. The Pirates sit 65-86 and are out of playoff contention.
- The Cubs shut the Pirates out in the opening game of this series on Monday. They got six shutout innings from Jameson Taillon in that game and will look to shut the Pirates down again here.
- Barring a miracle comeback in the NL Central race, the Cubs look poised to be the top-seeded Wild Card team in the National League in this year’s postseason.
Pitching outlook
- Cade Horton will get the ball to start this game against the Pirates. Horton is 10-4 with a 2.70 ERA on the season. Against almost any other pitcher, those numbers would look great. But Horton is expected to be second-best to Skenes in this game.
- Paul Skenes is having an incredible season for the Pirates. He is 10-9 but has an ERA of just 1.92 for the year. Skenes’ WHIP is just 0.92 for the year and he has been sensational when it comes to keeping runners off the basepaths for the most part.
Recent team streaks
- Chicago has won two straight games and four of their last five.
- The Pirates have lost two games in a row and four of their last five.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop | Line |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC | Home runs | Over 0.5 |
| Nico Hoerner, CHC | Total bases | Under 1.5 |
| Bryan Reynolds, PIT | Total bases | Over 1.5 |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The Cubs hold an 8-3 lead in their season series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Chicago has won the last three meetings between these teams.
Cubs vs Pirates Model Projection
Score Projection: Cubs 4 – Pirates 3
Win Probability: Cubs 58%, Pirates 42%
Final Thoughts
I think we are in for a low-scoring game given the pitching matchup in front of us for this contest. But I think the Cubs come out on top in that matchup. Skenes has been nothing short of spectacular for the Pirates this year. But the team around him has not helped him to win games consistently and I think that is the case again on Tuesday and Cubs moneyline is the bet I’d make here.
