The Cubs won the series opener, 9-0 yesterday behind 5.0 innings from Shota Imanaga and four different players hitting a homer. The Pirates didn’t get a runner in scoring position until the fifth inning and the bullpen could be taxed after using five relief pitchers because Andrew Heaney failed to reach 5.0 innings.

Preview the April 30 matchup between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.

Ranked as having the best odds to win the World Series by Baseball Reference, the Cubs clinched the season series against the reigning champion Dodgers, and their 9-0 win against the Pirates on Tuesday was their first game all year against a team currently below .500.

In a 9-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, the Pirates failed to record a single strikeout for the first time in nearly 15 years, a dubious distinction last seen on June 2, 2009. The Cubs’ offense was relentless,

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates MLB game to be played on April 30, 2025 on ESPN.

After returning from a fractured forearm in June of 2023, Kelly put up some of the worst offensive numbers of his career. He posted a 56 wRC+ and struck out a career-high 26.5 percent of the time. That spurred him to spend the next 18 months finding his best self mechanically.