Cubs vs. Pirates prediction, odds, props, best bets: Free 2025 MLB picks for Saturday, August 16

SportsLine's proven model has simulated Pittsburgh vs. Chicago 10,000 times and released its MLB best bets

By Richard Louis

Aug 16, 2025 at 11:52 am ET • 2 min read

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The Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates battle in the second game of their series on Saturday. The Pirates came away with a 3-2 win over the Cubs on Friday, snapping their five-game losing streak. Chicago has now dropped four of its last five outings. Mike Burrows (1-4, 4.66 ERA) starts for the Pirates. Shota Imanaga (8-5, 3.19 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs.

First pitch from Wrigley Field is set for 2:20 p.m. ET. Chicago is a -222 favorite (risk $222 to win $100) in the latest Pirates vs. Cubs odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while Pittsburgh is a +183 underdog (risk $100 to win $183). The over/under for total runs scored is 8.5. Before making any Pirates vs. Cubs picks, be sure to see the MLB betting predictions from SportsLine's proven model.

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It enters Week 21 of the 2025 MLB season a profitable 31-23 on top-rated MLB money-line picks. It has excelled making home run prop picks this season, returning nearly 60 units of profit. Anybody following its MLB betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns. Also see the model's top MLB props for Saturday and the model's top home run picks.

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Here are the model's three best bets for Pirates vs. Cubs on Saturday:

Kyle Tucker Under 1.5 total bases (-115)
Bryan Reynolds Over 0.5 hits (-235)
Shota Imanaga Over 5.5 strikeouts (-135)`

Kyle Tucker Under 1.5 total bases (-115)

Tucker owns a .263 batting average with 18 home runs and 62 RBI. DraftKings has posted his total bases at 1.5, but he's hit the under in 13 of his last 15 games. Tucker has even failed to log one total base in four straight outings.

Bryan Reynolds Over 0.5 hits (-250)

Reynolds leads the team in batting average (.244), RBI (61), and hits (111). DraftKings' over/under for Reynolds is listed at 0.5, and the over has cleared in 10 of his last 15 games. On Aug. 13 against the Brewers, he was 3-of-4 with two home runs and five runs driven in. The model projects Reynolds to log 0.9 hits in this game. You can bet this prop at FanDuel, where you can get $300 in bonus bets with a winning wager of $5 or more with the latest FanDuel promo code:

Shota Imanaga Over 5.5 strikeouts (-135)

Imanaga currently has 79 Ks with a 0.97 WHIP. DraftKings posted his strikeout over/under at 5.5, and he's hit the over in three consecutive starts. In his last outing on Aug. 10 against the Cardinals, Imanaga had nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work.