Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Picks and Prediction for Sunday September 13 2026

The Pittsburgh Pirates travel to Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, to face the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, September 13, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 PM ET with coverage available on MLB.TV. Pittsburgh enters the matchup at 74-74 overall and 36-40 on the road, while Chicago is 82-66 overall with an impressive 42-31 record at home. The Cubs opened the series with a convincing 12-2 victory on Friday. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Before placing your wagers on Sunday’s action, check out our free MLB picks for more baseball predictions.

Starting Pitchers

Pittsburgh is expected to start Bubba Chandler, who enters at 7-9 with a 4.25 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 142 innings. Chandler has allowed 119 hits while recording 129 strikeouts and 71 walks with 13 home runs surrendered. Chicago counters with Matthew Boyd, who is 8-4 with a 4.03 ERA and 1.22 WHIP through 109.1 innings. Boyd has surrendered 100 hits, struck out 86, walked 33 and allowed 15 home runs. The statistical advantage is modest, but Chicago owns the better WHIP and its starter has issued considerably fewer walks.

Pittsburgh Looks to Rebound After a Rough Series Opener

Pittsburgh enters Sunday at an even 74-74 overall and has been slightly below .500 away from home at 36-40. The Pirates had been playing excellent baseball before arriving at Wrigley Field, winning four consecutive games before suffering a 12-2 loss to Chicago on Friday. Pittsburgh previously swept three games on the road against the White Sox by scores of 9-3, 4-2 and 2-0 after beating the Angels 1-0. That leaves the Pirates 4-1 over their last five despite the ugly series-opening defeat.

The Pirates have produced a .253 team batting average with 1,287 hits, 711 runs and 169 home runs. Their .330 on-base percentage is solid, although their .402 slugging percentage trails Chicago's considerably. Pittsburgh's pitching staff owns a 4.18 ERA and 1.30 WHIP while allowing opponents to hit .237. The staff has also recorded 1,359 strikeouts, giving Pittsburgh a legitimate ability to miss bats.

One interesting element is Pittsburgh's success during afternoon games, where the Pirates are 37-25 this season. That is considerably better than Chicago's 32-31 daytime mark. Pittsburgh also entered this series playing some of its best baseball of the recent stretch, but Friday's ten-run defeat demonstrated the danger of falling behind a Chicago offense that has generated substantially more runs and home-run power this season.

Chicago Tries to Build on a Dominant Opening Win

Chicago comes into Sunday at 82-66 and sits second in the NL Central. The Cubs have done much of their damage at Wrigley Field, where they are 42-31. Friday's 12-2 victory snapped a four-game losing streak that included three consecutive defeats at Milwaukee and a 10-3 loss in Miami. Chicago is only 1-4 across its last five games, but the manner in which the Cubs broke the skid was certainly encouraging heading deeper into this series.

The Cubs have the more productive offensive profile, batting .252 with 1,283 hits while scoring 792 runs and hitting 204 home runs. Chicago also owns a .340 on-base percentage and .431 slugging percentage, giving it meaningful advantages over Pittsburgh in both categories. The pitching numbers are much closer, with Chicago carrying a 4.20 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .245 opponent batting average.

Chicago's biggest edge is its offensive ceiling combined with a strong home record. The Cubs have scored 81 more runs and hit 35 more home runs than Pittsburgh despite the teams carrying nearly identical batting averages. Pittsburgh's pitching statistics are competitive enough to keep this from being an automatic Chicago selection, but the Cubs' 42-31 home record and substantially stronger run production make them the more attractive side at Wrigley.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Picks and Prediction

Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline

Chicago is the preferred side in Sunday's matchup. The Cubs own the better overall record, have been strong at Wrigley Field and possess clear advantages in run production, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Pittsburgh had been playing well before Friday, so laying a large run-line price would be less appealing. With Chicago's starter holding the slightly better ERA and WHIP and the Cubs coming off a 12-2 win, the Chicago Cubs moneyline is the safer way to approach the side.

Pick: Over 8.5

There is enough offensive potential to lean toward the Over despite Pittsburgh's strong pitching results immediately before this series. Chicago has scored 792 runs with 204 home runs, while Pittsburgh has scored 711 and carries a .330 on-base percentage. Both starting pitchers enter with ERAs above 4.00, and the Cubs demonstrated Friday how quickly this matchup can become offensive. Take the Over if the total is set at 8.5 or lower.

Final Picks: Chicago Cubs Moneyline and Over 8.5

This preview was completed on Saturday. Starting pitchers, betting lines and other game information are subject to change before the game begins.