The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs start their weekend series with some afternoon baseball. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with a Braves-Cubs prediction, pick, and how to watch.

The Braves enter the series after taking two of three from the Angels. They have now won six of their last ten, including five of their last six games overall. In the process of beating the Angels on Wednesday, Ronald Acuna Jr. launched his 25th home run of the season. That makes him the first player since 2007 to hit 25 home runs while stealing 50 bases in a season since 2007. It is also just August 4th, so he had time to get 15 more home runs and join the 40-40 club this year. His amazing season has helped lead the Braves to a 69-37 record, which leads the NL East, and the best record in the majors.

Meanwhile, the Cubs may have the hottest offense in all of baseball. They are coming in after winning three of four games over the Reds. In the process, they scored 46 runs in four games, including scoring a combined 36 runs in the middle two games of the series. The Cubs have now won eight of their last ten games and placed themselves firmly in the race for the NL Central crown. They are 56-53 on the season and are just 2.5 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. Meanwhile, they are just two games behind the Reds for the last Wild Card spot.

Here are the Braves-Cubs MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Braves-Cubs Odds

Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (-105)

Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-114)

Over: 8.5 (-108)

Under: 8.5 (-112)

How To Watch Braves vs. Cubs

TV: BSSE/MARQ

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 2:20 PM ET/ 11:20 AM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread

In the process of winning five of their last six games, the offense for the Braves has been solid. They have scored 47 runs in their last six games, good for an average of 7.83 runs per game. On the season, the Braves sit third in the majors in runs scored, second in batting average, second in on-base percentage, and first in slugging. For the Braves, it is all about the long ball on offense. They have hit 206 home runs, which is 32 more than second place in the majors. That places the Braves on pace for 315 home runs this year, which would be an MLB record for a season.

Leading the way for the Braves in the home run category is Matt Olson. Olson has 37 home runs on the season, which is good for second in the majors. He has continued to his home runs as of late. In his last six games, he has five home runs. Olson has hit nine home runs since the start of July while driving in 24 runs in that time. He has also scored 18 runs with the help of six doubles. Olson is hitting well, hitting .322 since the start of July with an on-base percentage over .420 since then.

Meanwhile, Ronald Acuna Jr. continues his hot season as well. Since the start of July, Acuna is hitting .337 with five home runs and 11 RBIS. He has scored 23 times since then, with an on-base percentage over .440. Acuna has also shown his speed in the last month, stealing 15 bases. The Braves as a whole have been dominant, and have multiple hot bats. In the last week, Marcell Ozuna has four home runs while hitting .318. Meanwhile, Austin Riley has three home runs and five RBIs while hitting .391. Michael Harris II is getting in on the fun as well, with two home runs, five runs scored, and a .400 batting average. Overall, six different players have a home run, four or more RBIs, and have hit over .300 in the last week.

The rich keep getting richer as well. The Braves welcome back Max Fried from the 60-day IL today. On the season he is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA. He has not pitched since May fifth, when he gave up seven runs, five earned in six innings. Before that, in four starts he had given up just one run.

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

Like the Braves, the Cub's offense has been on fire. They have won 13 of their last 16 games, and in there they have scored ten or more runs four times. They have scored 127 runs in their last 16 games as well, good for 7.94 runs per game. On the year, they are now fifth in the majors in runs scored, seventh in batting average, fourth in on base percentage, and ninth in slugging. Leading the way for them has been Nico Hoerner. He has 58 RBIs and a .277 batting average, both tops on the team. In the series with the Reds, he went 7-20 with three doubles, a home run, and an RBI. The impressive part is he scored eight times in four games. He has now scored 21 times since the start of July.

Meanwhile, Dansby Swanson is slugging well for the Cubs. In the last week, he played in all seven games, hitting just .231. Still, he hit four home runs and a double, leading to eight RBIs and five runs scored. Ian Happ is also hitting very well. He is hitting .333 with three home runs and six RBIs. He also has three doubles and scored eight times in the last week. The impressive part has been his on-base percentage. He has walked eight times in the last week, to give him an OBP of .519.

The Cubs are also watching their newest bat to make an impact. Jeimer Candelario has played in three games as a member of the Cubs, and in those three games has nine hits in just 12 at-bats. While he has just one RBI with three doubles, he has scored six times in those three games. The Cubs have six different players who have scored five or more times in the last week.

On the mound for the Cubs will be Kyle Hendricks. He is 4-5 on the season with a 3.49 ERA. Last time out he went seven innings giving up three runs in seven innings. It was one of the only times as of late the offense has not shown up though. The Cubs were shut out in that game, giving Hendricks his fifth loss of the year.

Final Braves-Cubs Prediction & Pick

This should be a highly entertaining game. With Max Fried coming off a long IL stint, it is hard to tell who has the pitching edge in this game. Overall, Fried is the better pitcher, Kyle Hendricks has also been solid. Both offenses have been amazing as of late. They are both averaging over seven runs per game recently, but while the over is just 8.5, it may not be the best play. The wind is expecting to be blowing straight in today, which could slow down the Braves' offense. With that, take the Cubs to cover in this one.

Final Braves-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs +1.5 (-114)