Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction – 8/15/2025
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs will open a three-game weekend series on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are in desperate need of a win as they have struggled to keep up with the surging Milwaukee Brewers. They will look to get that important win at home against the last place team in the NL Central. Here, I bring you a full breakdown of this division rivalry game and give you my Pirates vs Cubs prediction for Friday’s game.
Our Pirates vs Cubs Pick
- Pick: Chicago Cubs -1.5
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs
- Date & Time: Friday, August 15, 2025, 2:20 PM ET
- Starting Pitchers:
- Chicago: Colin Rea (9-5, 4.09 ERA)
- Pittsburgh: Undecided
- Stadium: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
- Broadcast: MLB Network
Key Storylines
Pitching Matchup
Colin Rea takes the hill for the Cubs with a solid 9-5 record and a 4.09 ERA. Rea got a win in his last start. He threw six innings of one-run ball against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 9. He will look for a second win in a row against an NL Central opponent in this game. The Pirates have not announced their starter for this game yet and who they choose will move the betting line in all likelihood.
Playoff Picture
The Cubs have fallen well behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central standings. Milwaukee’s 12-game winning streak has helped the Cubs to fall eight games back of the Brewers. Chicago holds the top WIld Card spot in the National League heading into this series. But they will still look to make up ground in the division to make their playoff path as easy as possible.
Recent Team Streaks
- The Pirates have lost five games in a row going into this matchup.
- Chicago has lost three of their last four games and dropped two out of three games against the Toronto Blue Jays in their last series.
Best Player Props
| Prop Type | Player | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Home runs | Seiya Suzuki | Over 0.5 |
| Total Bases | Bryan Reynolds | Under 1.5 |
| Strikeouts | Colin Rea | Over 5.5 |
| Total Bases | Seiya Suzuki | Over 1.5 |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The Cubs lead their season series against the Pirates 5-2 entering Friday.
- Four straight games between these teams have been decided by one run.
- Chicago is 36-22 at home so far this season.
- The Pirates are 25 games below .500 at 17-42 for the year.
Pirates vs Cubs Model Projection
Score Projection: Cubs 6 – Pirates 4
Win Probability: Cubs 62%, Pirates 38%
Final Thoughts
The lack of a starting pitching selection for the Pirates at this point is troubling for them in a game that was already going to be an uphill battle. Rea is not a great starter by any means. But I think he will do more than enough to help the Cubs win this game and cover the runline at home.
