The Oakland Athletics are in the Windy City to take on the Chicago Cubs Monday night. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out an Athletics-Cubs prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Athletics-Cubs Projected Starters
Joey Estes vs. Shota Imanaga
Joey Estes (7-7) with a 4.36 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 117.2 innings pitched, 88K/24BB, .242 oBA
Last Start: at Houston Astros: Win, 6.2 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
2024 Road Splits: 12 games, 11 starts, 6.18 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 55.1 innings pitched, 45K/16BB, .286 oBA
Shota Imanaga (13-3) with a 3.03 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 160.1 innings pitched, 159K/25BB, .225 oBA
Last Start: at Los Angeles Dodgers: Win, 7 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs, o walks, 4 strikeouts
2024 Home Splits: 14 starts, 2.93 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 83 innings pitched, 95K/9BB, .209 oBA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Athletics-Cubs Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-132)
Moneyline: +158
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+110)
Moneyline: -188
Over: 7.5 (-112)
Under: 7.5 (-108)
How to Watch Athletics vs. Cubs
Time: 7:40 PM ET/4:40 PM PT
TV: NBC Sports California, Marquee Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win
Joey Estes has actually thrown the ball well lately. In his last eight starts, Estes has a 3.50 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 35 strikeouts, and just five walks in 46.1 innings pitched. He will not strike a lot of batters out, but he can get them off balance and force weaker contact. Expect Estes to attack the zone, but also get some batters to chase. If he can continue to pitch well, the Athletics will have a great chance to win this game.
The Cubs are coming off a pretty bad weekend series loss against the Colorado Rockies. Needless to say, they are not playing their best baseball. Chicago really struggles at the plate, so it is not a surprise that they are cooling down. Chicago does not have a high slugging percentage, and they do not hit the ball very hard. Estes just needs to keep attacking and the Cubs will get themselves out.
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
Shota Imanaga is the Cubs best pitcher this season. He gives the Cubs their best chance to win when it comes to starting pitchers. In fact, the Cubs are 21-6 in Imanaga's 27 starts this season. Imanaga has had a lot of success, and a lot of that is due to his chase rate. He gets opposing teams to chase 34.8 percent of the time. That is in the 97th percentile in the MLB. Along with that, Imanaga has a good whiff rate, and he does not walk batters. With him on the mound, the Cubs should have no problem winning this game.
The Athletics are not a good offensive team, so do not be surprised if Imanaga goes six or seven strong innings. Oakland has the third-highest whiff rate in the entire MLB, and they do not make a lot of contact if they happen to chase out of the zone. The only real threat in their lineup is Brent Rooker. Imanaga has a great chance to have another really good start.
One small thing to keep in mind is Estes is a flyball pitcher. He does not do a good job keeping the ball on the ground, and the Cubs have to take advantage of that. Chicago will put the ball in the air, and if the wind is blowing out at Wrigley, those balls are going to leave the yard.
Final Athletics-Cubs Prediction & Pick
I am not going to overthink this game. Yes the Cubs are not playing their best baseball right now, but they are the better team. Along with that, the Cubs hardly ever lose when Shota Imanaga is on the mound. I am going to take the Cubs to win this game by at least two runs.
Final Athletics-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs -1.5
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