MLB picks: Cubs vs. Pirates prediction, props, best bets for Monday, September 15
Chicago opens a series in Pittsburgh on Monday. Check out the best bets for Cubs vs. Pirates
The Chicago Cubs have a 3.5-game lead for the top wild card spot in the National League and will look to inch closer to securing a playoff bid on Monday night when they face the Pittsburgh Pirates. This NL Central battle will start at 6:40 p.m. ET, with it being televised on MLB Network.
Those interested in MLB betting can get the latest Cubs vs. Pirates odds, projections and picks from the SportsLine Inside the Lines team's model, which simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 26 of the 2025 MLB season with a profitable 34-27 on top-rated MLB money line picks. You can find the model's latest projections and expert picks for Cubs vs. Pirates at SportsLine.
Veteran Jameson Taillon (9-6, 4.15 ERA) gets the start for Chicago against his former team. The right-hander has been a solid if unremarkable mid-rotation arm when healthy this campaign and has notched wins in two of his last three starts. He'll be opposed by rookie Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.47). While he's been used primarily as a reliever, five of Ashcraft's last six outings have been starts -- although he's failed to complete six innings of work in those games and only finished five innings in three of them.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Taillon set at over/under 4.5 strikeouts (Over +112, Under -143). Ashcraft is set at 3.5 punchouts (Over -151, Under +118). The Inside the Lines team's model rates Ashcraft's Over 4.5 stars out of a possible 5, as it projects him to notch 4.7 strikeouts.
Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz is the favorite to hit a home run in this game at DraftKings at +391. He's followed by Michael Busch (+465), Pete Crow-Armstrong (+543), Moises Ballesteros (+559), Spencer Horwitz (+610), Andrew McCutchen (+690) and Bryan Reynolds (+690).
Here are the Inside the Lines team's model projections for Cubs vs. Pirates on Monday:
CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES | 9/15 | 6:40 p.m. ET
Money line
Pick: Cubs -119
Chicago wins in 54% of simulations
Run line
Pick: Pirates +1.5 (-165)
Pittsburgh covers in 63% of simulations
Over/Under
Pick: Over 8 (-112)
The Over hits in 54.4% of simulations
Projected score: Chicago 4.9, Pittsburgh 4.3
