The Chicago Cubs take on the Seattle Mariners. Our MLB odds series has our Cubs Mariners prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Cubs Mariners.

The Chicago Cubs are in third place in the National League Central Division as they wake up on Saturday morning and prepare for the second game of this weekend series in Seattle. The Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates are ahead of the Cubs. That could make some Chicago fans worry. It shouldn't be a source of great concern this early in the season for a number of reasons. One thing to keep in mind is that the Pittsburgh Pirates started the 2023 season extremely well but then cooled off. It is true that the Pirates do have some promising young talent which — with one more year of development and seasoning — might not fall off the pace as quickly as last year's team did. The Pirates are worth taking more seriously than they were a year ago. Still, that's a team without a lot of high-end pitching. Pittsburgh's arms will be tested over 162 games, and it's far too early to think the Pirates are going to author a different ending to their season.

Milwaukee has started well, but the Brewers don't have Corbin Burnes to steady the ship if the team gets into a rough patch of play during the season. The Brewers should be viewed as a prime contender in the N.L. Central, but they are unlikely to run away with the division, which figures to be competitive the whole way.

The Cubs just need to worry about themselves. They let a playoff berth slip through their fingers last year because they weren't good enough. If they win 90 games this season, and can establish that standard over the course of 162, the Brewers and Pirates will have a hard time matching them. There will be ups and downs, as is inevitably the case over a long season. The Cubs have to trust that if they steadily win, the Brewers and Pirates will fall back and the Cubs can win a division championship in 2024.

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

MLB Odds: Cubs-Mariners Odds

Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+126)

Seattle Mariners: +1.5 (-152)

Over: 7.5 (-120)

Under: 7.5 (-102)

How To Watch Cubs vs. Mariners

TV: Marquee Sports (Cubs) / Root SportsNet Northwest (Mariners) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT

*Watch Cubs-Mariners LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

The Cubs have Shota Imanaga on the hill in this game. Shota has put on a show for the Cubs, pitching extremely well in his first few starts, including a very good outing against the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers. He went only four innings but shut out one of the most powerful hitting teams in the majors. Imanaga has pitched 10 total innings this regular season. All those innings were scoreless ones. Some might call it a fluke. Others will say that as soon as Imanaga accumulates more innings and more film, hitters will begin to adjust and figure him out. Yet, when a guy has thrown 10 scoreless innings, it's hard to bet against him, especially when the opponent is a Mariner team which struggles at the plate and chases a lot of pitches out of the strike zone.

Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread

The Mariners are loaded with pitching, and they contained Chicago's bats on Friday night in the first game of this series. The Mariners seemed to get a real boost from an extra-inning win earlier in the week in Toronto against the Blue Jays. That good vibe carried into Friday's game versus the Cubs. The Mariners don't have a complete team, but they know how to get outs, and that makes them a good bet to cover the spread against an unproven opponent such as the Cubs.

Final Cubs-Mariners Prediction & Pick

The Cubs have Shota Imanaga, and early in the season, that might be enough. Take the Cubs.

Final Cubs-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Cubs -1.5