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The Cubs make the trip to Atlanta to face the Braves! Both of these teams have been very good with the Braves being the better team overall, but the Cubs are just behind them in the NL rankings. These are two of the best teams not just in the NL, but in the entire MLB and this will be a good series too with the Braves already claiming the first game. Our MLB odds series has our Cubs-Braves prediction, odds, and pick for Wednesday.
The Cubs have started the season playing well and have a 24-18 record and lost the first game in this series. Their bats have been inconsistent and are in the bottom half of the league, while their pitching has been very good and is just outside the top 10. On offense, Michael Busch, Cody Bellinger, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Christopher Morel, Michael Tauchman, and Dansby Swanson make up an inconsistent offense. Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad, Ben Brown, and Jameson Taillon are standouts in a very good pitching staff. The Cubs have been inconsistent recently, but their pitching is the key, and needs to continue playing well.
The Braves have come out very strong to open the season. They are 25-13 and won the first game in this series. They have one of the best offenses in the MLB up to this point in the season, ranking top five in the MLB. Their pitching has also been very good this season, ranking in the top 10. Max Fried, Reynaldo Lopez, Chris Sale, and Charlie Morton have all had varying levels of success up to this point. On offense, Marcell Ozuna has dominated at the plate for Atlanta, with Orlando Arcia, Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II all not far behind. The Braves are playing great baseball, but are going to be in a battle with the the Phillies and Dodgers as the best team in the NL all season.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cub-Braves Odds
Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-130)
Moneyline: +164
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+108)
Moneyline: -196
Over: 8 (-105)
Under: 8 (-115)
How to Watch Cubs vs. Braves
Time: 7:20 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports South
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs are starting Javier Assad on the mound where he has a 3-0 record, a 1.70 ERA, and a 1.06 WHIP. He has allowed nine runs on 31 hits with 14 walks and 35 strikeouts through 42.1 innings. In his eight starts this season, the Cubs are 5-3. In his last start, he pitched 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a Cubs win. Assad has been the best pitcher for the Cubs next to Shota Imanaga on the mound this season.
The Cubs' offense has been inconsistent this season. They are 18th in team batting average at .237 after finishing last season with a .254 batting average. The offense is led by Nico Hoerner, Christopher Morel, and Mike Tauchman lead the way in most of the batting categories. Hoerner leads the way in batting average at .269 and in total hits at 42. Morel leads the way in home runs at nine and then in RBI at 27. Tauchman then leads the way in OBP at .407. They also get a difficult matchup against Charlie Morton for the Braves on the mound.
Why The Braves Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Braves are going with Charlie Morton to start on the mound. He has a 3-0 record, a 3.14 ERA, and a 1.05 WHIP. He has allowed 15 runs on 31 hits with 14 walks and 40 strikeouts through 43 innings. He has appeared in seven total games so far this season and the Braves are 4-3 in those games. In his last start, he pitched seven innings where he allowed one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Morton has been very good for the Braves on the mound this season and is a key piece for a good Braves pitching staff.
The Braves offense has been very good and is fifth in the MLB so far up to this point in the season at .255. They dipped a bit after leading the way in batting average at .276 last season. Marcell Ozuna has been incredible for the Braves to open the season. Ozuna leads the way in batting average at .329, in home runs at 12, in RBI at 40, in OBP at .412, and in total hits at 46. The Braves offense can compete with anyone in the league and this is an interesting matchup against Javier Assad for the Cubs.
Final Cubs-Braves Prediction & Pick
The Braves are the better team in this game especially at home. However, the Cubs are starting Javier Assad at pitcher, while the Braves are starting Charlie Morton. Assad has the advantage and can slow down an offense as good as the Braves. That's the difference even with an inconsistent offense for the Cubs. Bank on Assad and expect the Cubs to cover, even if the Braves might still win.
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Final Cubs-Braves Prediction & Pick: Cubs +1.5 (-128)
