The Atlanta Braves are heading north to Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs. WGN will be televising this NL matchup and the action gets underway at 2:20 p.m. ET.
Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs Odds
The Braves have gone 24-15 SU this year and are 24-14 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 11.2 units for moneyline bettors in this young season and 10.7 units ATS. The Cubs, on the other hand, are 21-16 SU and 17-19 ATS. They’ve lost 1.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 2.0 units ATS.
Chicago games have an over/under record of 17-19 so far in 2018. The Braves have an over/under record of 19-16-3.
Julio Teheran is getting the start for Atlanta. The right-handed Teheran is 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA and 42 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cubs this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-1, 3.00 ERA and five strikeouts over six innings).
The Cubs will send lefty Jose Quintana (4-2, 4.42 ERA) to the mound. Quintana has 32 strikeouts and 18 walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 1.47. Quintana is 0-0 with a 27.00 ERA against Atlanta this year.
Atlanta’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.48 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 8.93 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.61, along with a WHIP of 1.34.
The Braves offense has slashed .269/.340/.442 on its way to 5.5 runs scored per game this season, including 5.2 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 6.2 per game over the teams last five outings (4-1 SU).
First baseman Freddie Freeman and right fielder Nick Markakis have led Atlanta’s offense. Freeman is slashing .331/.433/.588 with eight home runs, 31 RBIs and 29 runs scored, while Markakis (.344/.416/.541) has produced seven homers, 30 RBIs and 28 runs scored.
Maintaining a slash line of .278/.357/.524 across 143 plate appearances, Freeman did not perform especially well against lefties last year (compared to his overall season line of .307/.403/.586).
For the home team, Chicago’s pitchers have yielded 3.9 runs per game overall this year. The clubs starters have an ERA of 3.85, a WHIP of 1.36 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.2. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 2.77, a WHIP of 1.20 and a K/9 of 8.8.
The Chicago offense has put up 5.4 runs per outing, including 6.6 per game over its last 10 games and 7.8 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .302/.406/.547 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that span.
Third baseman Kris Bryant and second baseman Javier Baez have led the Cubs batters this year. Bryant is slashing .285/.422/.577 with seven home runs, 19 RBIs and 26 runs scored, and Baez’s line is .282/.318/.613 with 10 homers, 36 RBIs, 27 runs and five steals.
The Braves have gained 3.9 units and are 6-4 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in five of those games, as opposed to five that’ve gone under against lefties. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 0.8 units and are 12-13 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 12 of those games, as opposed to 13 that’ve cashed the under.
Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Braves, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in only two of Chicago’s last seven games.
- The Braves have won five of their last six games SU.
- Chicago has recorded 27.0 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 28.6 over its last five.
- The Braves have hit 16 home runs in their last 10 games, including nine over their last five.
