Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Odds and Picks for Sunday, 06/15/25

In this game, we will see the Pittsburgh Pirates face off against the Chicago Cubs. So far, the Cubs lead the series 4-2 though the last 3 games between these teams were very tight. For today, we will see Mitch Keller of the Pirates take the mound against Colin Rea of the Cubs. Keller has struggled in his last 3 starts where he has given up 12 runs in his last 18.1 innings pitched. These numbers have been detrimental for a Pirates team that has been struggling to hit the ball. On the year, the Pirates rank 28^th in batting average (.227) and 29^th in runs scored (230). When a pitcher is giving up 12 runs in 18.1 innings and the bats are not working it can be difficult to come away with the win. These 2 factors are the reason that the Pirates are 3-11 with Keller on the mound.

For the Cubs, they will send out Colin Rea. Rea started the season in great form with a 0.96 ERA in his first 5 starts. In recent form, he has had his struggles where we have watched him give up 4+ earned runs in 3 of his last 4 starts. The one shining moment in there was when he pitched 5.1 innings against the Washington Nationals and gave up no runs. Even with his struggles on the mound, the Cubs hold a record of 10-3 when he starts the game. This record could be due to the Cubs ranking 3^rd in batting average (.255) and 2^nd in runs scored (382) on the year. So, can Keller hold down a Cubs offense that has been struggling? I do not believe so. I think that Keller is just the pitcher that the Cubs need to gain some confidence in their bats. I think Rea will find his early season form against the lowly hitting of the Pirates and the Cubs will cover the run line.

Pirates vs. Cubs Prediction: Cubs -1.5 (+125) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.