Chicago Cubs vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/25/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Saturday, July 25, 2026

Venue:  PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +113, Pirates -136; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +115, Pirates -135; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs +110, Pirates -135; Over/Under:  8 runs

Chicago Cubs:  57-45 (2nd place, NL Central)

Pittsburgh Pirates:  53-50 (3rd place, NL Central)

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Chicago Cubs:  5-5 last 10

Pittsburgh Pirates:  6-4 last 10

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 57-45 record overall and have a road record of 27-23. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Pirates on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .751 OPS. Matthew Boyd is their starting pitcher on Friday while Shota Imanaga is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 6-8 with a 3.91 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 4 SO on 6 hits through 7 IP against the Minnesota Twins.

The Pirates are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the New York Yankees 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 53-50 record overall and have a home record of 27-24. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .763 OPS. Jared Jones is their starting pitcher on Friday while Paul Skenes is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 9-8 with a 3.43 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts on 7 hits through 7 innings pitched against the Cleveland Guardians.

The current betting odds have the Pirates listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 57-45 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 27-23 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Pirates have looked good in their games this season with their 53-50 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the NL Central. They have looked better in their own ballpark though with their 27-24 home record this season. The Cubs have had a great offense this season, but their pitching has been terrible for a lot of the year and they haven't looked great lately either, now 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Pirates haven't had a great pitching staff this season either, but they have looked a lot better lately with one of the best offenses in the league, now 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are going with Skenes in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 9-8 with a 3.43 ERA and the team has been having more success with him lately. He went through a stretch where he couldn't get a win, but now the team has won 3 games in a row with him starting and he is coming off another great start in which he gave up 1 earned run. The Cubs are going with Imanaga in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 6-8 with a 3.91 ERA and has looked a lot better lately, but the team has still been having trouble with him. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting and even though he gave up no runs in his last start, that hasn't been a common theme for him. The Pirates are hot right now with the better offense too, so look for them to take advantage of this pitching matchup at home. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pirates to win this game. 

Cubs Pirates Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, July 25, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Pirates 4 Cubs 2.

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Chicago Cubs: 237-197 (+14.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 68-79 (+6.6 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 189-142 (+30 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 17-10 OVER as a road underdog of +100 or higher.

Pittsburgh Pirates: 201-226 (-16.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 84-67 (-9.8 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 62-72 (-9.6 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 34-17 OVER in home games.

Chicago Cubs:  P. Maton (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. M. Shaw (RF) Ten Day IL - Hand. E. Roberts (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. H. Milner (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Appendicitis. B. Brown (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Neck. E. Cabrera (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. D. Palencia (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. R. Martin (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. P. Hodge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Horton (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Tricep. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Austin (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Miller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Pittsburgh Pirates:  J. Mangum (CF) Day To Day - Foot. O. Cruz (CF) Sixty Day IL - Hand. K. Griffin (SS) Sixty Day IL - Finger. E. Rodriguez (C) Ten Day IL - Lower Body. E. Sisk (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Horwitz (1B) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. C. Devenski (RP) Sixty Day IL - Illness.

“This is a good pitcher. You might not know his name, but this is a guy having a really good season. He’s a good pitcher.” - Craig Counsell on Keider Montero after his team’s loss against the Tigers in their game on Wednesday.

“It’s tough with the walk to Bellinger and then giving up the hits to Domínguez and Volpe. You just have to throw strikes there.” - Don Kelly on his team splitting their double-header against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Ian Happ (S) LF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Michael Conforto (L) DH

Carson Kelly (R) C

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Nick Gonzales (R) 3B

Jared Triolo (R) SS

Bryan Reynolds (S) LF

Esmerlyn Valdez (R) RF

Ryan O'Hearn (L) 1B

Marcell Ozuna (R) DH

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Rafael Flores Jr. (R) C

Billy Cook (R) CF

Batting Average:  Justin Dean (.333)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (107)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (21)

RBI:  Dansby Swanson (58)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (25)

Wins:  Colin Rea (7)

Saves:  Jacob Webb (5)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Batting Average:  Nick Gonzales (.313)

Hits:  Nick Gonzales (114)

Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe (21)

RBI:  Brandon Lowe (65)

Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz (21)

Wins:  Braxton Ashcraft (9)

Saves:  Gregory Soto (13)

ERA:  Khristian Curtis (0.00)

Managers:

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)

Pittsburgh Pirates: Don Kelly (2nd season)