Lester Faces Taillon on Tuesday as Pirates and Cubs Clash
The Pittsburgh Pirates will host the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in what should be the most interesting pitching matchup of the night. Jon Lester will be on the mound for the Cubs, while the Pirates will counter with Jameson Taillon.
The Pirates have climbed to the fringes of the National League playoff race. They have a chance to put another dent in the deficit. The Pirates are winners of 15 of their last 19. The Pirates host the first-place Chicago Cubs for two critical games starting Tuesday.
The Cubs are clinging to a 1 1/2-game lead over second-place Milwaukee in the NL Central entering the week. The Pirates have clawed within seven games of the lead.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Jon Lester (12-3, 3.06 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Jameson Taillon (7-8, 3.73)
ODDS: Both teams are -105 on the moneyline right now. The total is 7.5.
Tuesday’s game will be the 10th meeting of the season between these teams. The Cubs have a 5-4 edge in the head-to-head season series so far.
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Lester has been absolutely dominant for Chicago this season. Heading into Tuesday’s start, he has a 12-3 record and 3.06 ERA. He had a rare off night against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 20. Lester bounced back with a solid Lester-like outing.
Lester allowed just one earned run on four hits over 6.0 innings of work in a 2-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is 7-1 with a 3.16 ERA in 10 road starts this season.
A couple Cubs will be excited to face Jameson Taillon for the first time this season. Javier Baez is 6-for-10 with a homer and Anthony Rizzo is 8-for-13 with two homers against the right-hander.
Anthony Rizzo has homered in three of his past four games since ending a 25-game drought.
David Bote has multiple hits in three of his past five contests.
Pirates Need Quality Outings from Starters
Pittsburgh will hope that Taillon will match Lester’s level of performance on Tuesday. Despite a solid 3.73 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, Taillon is just 7-8 this season.
The 26-year-old right-hander has been at his best of late. He has given up just four earned runs allowed in 18.1 innings over his last three starts. Taillon is 3-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 10 road starts this season.
Taillon took a tough-luck loss last time out, but he posted his 11th consecutive start allowing three or fewer earned runs.
Jordy Mercer is 9-for-25 during an eight-game hitting streak.
Recent Form
| Team | record | money | vs LHP | vs RHP | Fave | Dog | O/U | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chi Cubs | 61-44 | $152.00 | 18-7 | 43-37 | 55-32 | 6-12 | 48-54-3 | 0.94 |
| Pittsburgh | 55-52 | $267.00 | 12-16 | 43-36 | 33-27 | 22-25 | 50-49-8 | 0.029999999999999 |
J Lester (12-3) ERA: 3.06
| event date | Opponent | Result | score | OU Result | ip | money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2018 | ARI | W | 2-1 | U | 6 | $96.00 |
| Jul 20, 2018 | STL | L | 5-18 | O | 3 | -$100.00 |
| Jul 15, 2018 | SD | W | 7-4 | O | 5.1 | $69.00 |
Jameson Taillon (7-8) ERA: 3.73
| event date | Opponent | Result | score | OU Result | ip | money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2018 | CLE | L | 0-4 | U | 7 | -$100.00 |
| Jul 20, 2018 | CIN | W | 12-1 | O | 5.1 | $88.00 |
| Jul 12, 2018 | MIL | W | 6-3 | O | 6 | $84.00 |
Bullpen
| Chi Cubs’s relievers have pitched 10 innings in the last 3 games. |
| Pittsburgh’s relievers have pitched 9 innings in the last 3 games. |
Chicago Cubs – J Lester
| Date | score | Winner | ip | hits | Runs | Earned Runs | walks | strikeouts | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2018 | 2-0 | CHC | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | Win |
| May 29, 2018 | 8-6 | CHC | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | Win |
| Apr 11, 2018 | 13-5 | CHC | 5 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | No Decision |
| Sep 7, 2017 | 8-2 | CHC | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Win |
| Jul 9, 2017 | 14-3 | PIT | 0.2 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | Loss |
Pittsburgh Pirates – Jameson Taillon
| Date | score | Winner | ip | hits | Runs | Earned Runs | walks | strikeouts | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 2017 | 8-2 | CHC | 4.2 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | Loss |
| Jun 18, 2017 | 7-1 | CHC | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | Loss |
| Apr 16, 2017 | 6-1 | PIT | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | Win |
| Sep 28, 2016 | 8-4 | PIT | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Win |
| Jun 19, 2016 | 10-5 | CHC | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | Loss |
Supergrid
| Title | Stat | Rank | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense | 5.02 | 4 | 4.49 | 18 |
| Away Team Away Scoring vs Home Team Home Defense | 4.92 | 5 | 4.16 | 12 |
| Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense | 4.52 | 14 | 4.08 | 8 |
| Home Team Home Scoring vs Away Team Road Defense | 4.42 | 16 | 3.68 | 3 |
Head To Head Detail
| Date | Away | away score | Home | home score | line | O/U | Away Pitcher | Home Pitcher | Away Hits | Home Hits | Away Walks | Home Walks | Away Strikeouts | Home Strikeouts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2018 | PIT | 7 | CHC | 1 | -186 | 9 | U | Ivan Nova (R) | Kyle Hendricks (R) | 9 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Jun 9, 2018 | PIT | 0 | CHC | 2 | -167 | 8 | U | Nick Kingham (R) | Jon Lester (L) | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Jun 8, 2018 | PIT | 1 | CHC | 3 | -157 | 8 | U | Chad Kuhl (R) | Mike Montgomery (L) | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| May 30, 2018 | CHC | 1 | PIT | 2 | 124 | 8 | U | Kyle Hendricks (R) | Joe Musgrove (R) | 9 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| May 29, 2018 | CHC | 8 | PIT | 6 | 120 | 8.5 | O | Jon Lester (L) | Nick Kingham (R) | 14 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| May 28, 2018 | CHC | 7 | PIT | 0 | -107 | 9 | U | Mike Montgomery (L) | Chad Kuhl (R) | 12 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Apr 12, 2018 | PIT | 6 | CHC | 1 | -180 | 8.5 | U | Trevor Williams (R) | Kyle Hendricks (R) | 9 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
| Apr 11, 2018 | PIT | 5 | CHC | 13 | -158 | 8.5 | O | Steven Brault (L) | Jon Lester (L) | 8 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Apr 10, 2018 | PIT | 8 | CHC | 5 | -147 | 9 | O | Ivan Nova (R) | Tyler Chatwood (R) | 12 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Sep 7, 2017 | CHC | 8 | PIT | 2 | 123 | 7.5 | O | Jon Lester (L) | Jameson Taillon (R) | 13 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
MLB Betting Odds and Trends
| Chicago Cubs |
|---|
| Chi Cubs is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs’s last 7 games |
| Chi Cubs is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games on the road |
| Chi Cubs is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road |
| Chi Cubs is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh |
| Chi Cubs is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh |
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs’s last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh |
| Chi Cubs is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh |
| The total has gone OVER in 15 of Chi Cubs’s last 23 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
|---|
| Pittsburgh is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games |
| Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games |
| Pittsburgh is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games |
| Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home |
| Pittsburgh is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home |
| Pittsburgh is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs |
| Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs |
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs |
| Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs |
| The total has gone OVER in 15 of Pittsburgh’s last 23 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs |
Chicago Cubs
| record | Home | Away | Fave | Dog | O/U | vs LHP | vs RHP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 61-44 | 33-19 | 28-25 | 55-31 | 9-13 | 48-54-3 | 18-7 | 43-37 |
| Last 10 | 5-5 | 4-3 | 1-2 | 4-3 | 2-2 | 4-6 | 1-1 | 4-4 |
| vs Div | 25-23 | 13-7 | 12-16 | 25-17 | 1-6 | 20-25-3 | 3-0 | 22-23 |
| vs AL | 8-4 | 7-3 | 1-1 | 7-2 | 1-2 | 7-5 | 2-0 | 6-4 |
| vs NL | 53-40 | 26-16 | 27-24 | 48-29 | 8-11 | 41-49-3 | 16-7 | 37-33 |
Pittsburgh Pirates
| record | Home | Away | Fave | Dog | O/U | vs LHP | vs RHP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 55-52 | 31-26 | 24-26 | 33-23 | 25-28 | 50-49-8 | 12-16 | 43-36 |
| Last 10 | 7-3 | 2-2 | 5-1 | 2-2 | 5-1 | 4-5-1 | 1-1 | 6-2 |
| vs Div | 26-16 | 16-7 | 10-9 | 11-7 | 16-8 | 16-23-3 | 2-5 | 24-11 |
| vs AL | 12-3 | 5-2 | 7-1 | 10-2 | 3-1 | 9-6 | 3-0 | 9-3 |
| vs NL | 43-49 | 26-24 | 17-25 | 23-21 | 22-27 | 41-43-8 | 9-16 | 34-33 |
Chicago Cubs
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | Total | starter | ip | opposing starter | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2018 | STL | 5-2 | W | -120 | 8.5 | K Hendricks | 7 | John Gant | A |
| Jul 28, 2018 | STL | 2-6 | L | 116 | 8.5 | J Quintana | 3 | M Mikolas | A |
| Jul 27, 2018 | STL | 2-5 | L | 117 | 9 | Mike Montgomery | 5 | Luke Weaver | A |
| Jul 26, 2018 | ARI | 7-6 | W | 102 | 9.5 | T Chatwood | 4.2 | Zack Godley | H |
| Jul 25, 2018 | ARI | 2-1 | W | -104 | 8.5 | J Lester | 6 | Robbie Ray | H |
Pittsburgh Pirates
| Date | Opponent | score | Result | line | Total | starter | ip | opposing starter | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2018 | NYM | 0-1 | L | -146 | 8 | Joe Musgrove | 7 | Z Wheeler | H |
| Jul 28, 2018 | NYM | 5-0 | W | 119 | 7.5 | Trevor Williams | 6 | J deGrom | H |
| Jul 27, 2018 | NYM | 5-4 | W | -133 | 9 | I Nova | 5 | J Vargas | H |
| Jul 26, 2018 | NYM | 6-12 | L | -139 | 8.5 | Nick Kingham | 3 | Steven Matz | H |
| Jul 25, 2018 | CLE | 0-4 | L | 201 | 8 | Jameson Taillon | 7 | T Bauer | A |
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