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

The Chicago Cubs are having a very good season. At 17-10, they are in a solid position to make the playoffs. If they can replicate in May what they have done over the past month, they will be in very good shape entering the summer and moving toward the All-Star break. New manager Craig Counsell has done a solid job so far with this team, which looks like the real deal. However, one month in a baseball season does not confer greatness; it's about handling the full journey and riding through the ups and downs. On Saturday, the Cubs had a definite downer, losing 17-0 to the Red Sox. It was one of those games for the Cubs. Now they have to make sure “one of those games” doesn't bleed into the next day and lead to a crisis of confidence.

The Boston Red Sox had a great time at Fenway Park on Saturday in a 17-run win which was also a shutout, but it was just one game. Whereas the Cubs are thriving at 17-10, Boston is 15-13 and fighting a clear uphill battle in the American League East. The A.L. East has the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles and the pitching-rich New York Yankees at the top of the division. The Red Sox probably aren't going to catch either of those teams, but they must finish third in the East in order to have a reasonably good chance of getting a wild card berth for October. The margins are small for the Red Sox, who do not have a ton of depth in their pitching rotation and need their offense to be good, much as it was on Saturday in the thrashing of the Cubs.

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

MLB Odds: Cubs-Red Sox Odds

Chicago Cubss: -1.5 (+164)

Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-200)

Over: 8.5 (-122)

Under: 8.5 (+100)

How To Watch Cubs vs. Red Sox

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN Plus

Time: 7:05 p.m. ET/4:05 p.m. PT

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

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

The Cubs, like any baseball team which has an awful day at the ballpark, get to come back the next day and play again. It's hard for teams to play two terrible games in a row. Generally, the laws of averages enter the conversation. The horrible at-bats and subpar pitches thrown on one day turn into big hits and timely outs the next day. You know that every man in the Chicago dugout will be fired up to play baseball on Sunday and wipe away the bitter taste of a blowout.

Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread

The Red Sox have some injuries to their pitching rotation, such as Lucas Giolito, but the Cubs are dealing with an injury in this game. Jordan Wicks was the scheduled starter, but he was scratched due to injury. Hayden Wesneski is the emergency starter. That puts the Cubs at a real disadvantage to begin with. Their disadvantage gets larger when you realize that Boston's starter in this game is Tanner Houck, who has been dealing this season. Houck shut down the Cleveland Guardians — a team with one of the best records in baseball — twice. Houck has a 1.65 ERA for the season. He is in a groove, and it will be hard for the Cubs to get at him.

Final Cubs-Red Sox Prediction & Pick

This is a blowout pitching matchup. The FanDuel odds above listed the price for Red Sox +1.5, but you could actually go with a Red Sox money line pick here and even a Boston -1.5 pick as well.

Final Cubs-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Red Sox +1.5