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The Los Angeles Angels will begin a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make an Angels-Cubs prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
Angels-Cubs Projected Starters
Griffin Canning vs. Justin Steele
Griffin Canning (3-8) with a 4.71 ERA
Last Start: Canning labored in his last outing, going six innings, allowing five runs, four earned, while striking out four and walking two in a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers.
2024 Road Splits: Canning has been awful on the road, going 0-6 with a 5.21 ERA over seven starts away from Angels Stadium.
Justin Steele (0-3) with a 3.20 ERA
Last Start: Steele went six innings while allowing three earned runs on seven hits, striking out five in a no-decision against the Milwaukee Brewers.
2024 Home Splits: Steele is 0-2 with a 3.81 ERA over five starts at Wrigley Field.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Angels-Cubs Odds
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-118)
Moneyline: +166
Chicago Cubs: -1,5 (-102)
Moneyline: -198
Over: 9.5 (-120)
Under: 9.5 (-102)
How to Watch Angels vs. Cubs
Time: 2:20 PM ET/11:20 AM PT
TV: Bally Sports West
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Article Continues Below
Why The Angels Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Halos have not had a good season. Ultimately, they have seen everything go wrong and have faltered to fourth place in the American League. They need their pitching to do better overall.
Canning goes deep into games. He has at least six innings in five of his last six starts. Therefore, he is making things slightly more manageable for a bullpen, the second worst in baseball. But if Canning and the middle relievers and setup men can pitch well, they can make things easier for Carlos Estevez, who had eight saves in June and earned the American Reliever of the Month award. Yet, the Angels need some offense to get the ball to him.
Things have been challenging without Mike Trout, who has been out of the lineup since April. Furthermore, the Angels may get him and Anthony Rendon back soon. But in the meantime, the Halos will rely on Nolan Schanuel, who is still struggling at the top of the lineup. Luis Rengifo is doing his best in the second spot of the batting order. Likewise, Taylor Ward is doing enough in the three-hole, but he is more of a bottom-of-the-lineup hitter who is in the wrong spot. Logan O'Hoppe has been hot lately and now is batting .280 with 12 home runs, 38 RBIs, and 37 runs.
The Angels will cover the spread if Canning can find his location and hit his spots. Then, they need their hitters to produce at the plate and avoid falling into a lull.
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs have been mediocre this season. Somehow, they have done well in the rotation. But there have been two major weaknesses, and it has hindered their development.
Steele is probably the unluckiest starting pitcher in the majors. Somehow, he is still looking for his first win of the season. Steele just has had such bad run support that it is mind-boggling. Amazingly, he left his last start with the game tied. But the three games he pitched before involved the bullpen blowing leads or collapsing. Yes, he has had five straight quality starts.
But the offense is also averaging just 2.4 runs per game over the last five starts that Steele has had while he has been in the game. Significantly, that means that Steele has allowed just two runs in almost all those games but has not been able to come up with the win because the lineup has not helped him. The bullpen has also been awful, not allowing the starters to get any satisfaction.
But the hitters have been a focal weakness. Overall, Nico Hoerner has dealt with some injuries this season and has not been consistent at the plate. Dansby Swanson is struggling with power. Meanwhile, Cody Bellinger is not as productive as he has been in the past. Bellinger has struggled against the Angels, batting .233 with 21 hits, four home runs, 10 RBIs, and 12 runs over 26 games. Also, Ian Happ is hitting .222 with two hits in nine at-bats against the Angels.
The Cubs will cover the spread if Steele can pitch a good game once again. Then, they need the offense to produce some run support and the bullpen to avoid blowing the game.
Final Angels-Cubs Prediction & Pick
Despite being among the worst teams in the majors, the Angels are among the best in the league at covering the spread. Furthermore, the Cubs have not done an excellent job of hanging onto games. While we could see Steele getting his first win of the season, we don't expect it to be easy. Consequently, the Angels will fight them tooth and nail. This could be a 3-2 game, with the under hitting perfectly. However, the best bet is to go with the Angels to cover the spread in a close game.
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Final Angels-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-118)
