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The Cubs make the trip to Sacramento to face the Athletics! These two teams have struggled to find some early season consistency to open the 2025 MLB season. This is a big game for both teams to keep gaining momentum early in the year. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cubs-Athletics prediction and pick.
Cubs-Athletics Projected Starters
Jameson Taillon vs. Jeffrey Springs
Jameson Taillon (0-1) with a 12.46 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched 4.1 innings and gave up six runs on nine hits with zero walks and one strikeout.
Away Splits: 0-1 12.46 ERA
Jeffrey Springs (1-0) with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched six innings and gave up zero runs on three hits with one walk and nine strikeouts.
Home Splits:
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cubs-Athletics Odds
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+164)
Moneyline: -102
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-200)
Moneyline: -116
Over: 8.5 (+102)
Under: 8.5 (-116)
How to Watch Cubs vs. Athletics
Time: 3:35 pm ET/12:35 pm PT
TV: Marquee Sports Network/NBC Sports Bay Area
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs had an 83-79 record last season and have started this year with a 3-4 record. Behind the plate, this offense has been in the middle of the pack both last season and this season. Their pitching was one of the best in the MLB last season, but they have struggled to start the season in the early part of 2025. On offense, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzkui, Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Michael Busch, and Matt Shaw have been the biggest standouts for the Cubs, despite how inconsistent they have been. Shota Imanaga is a star pitcher for the Cubs, but the rest of the pitching lineup has had a rough start to the season, and they need to improve if the Cubs have any hope of making some noise this year.
The Cubs are starting Jameson Taillon on the mound, where he has a 0-1 record, a 12,46 ERA, and a 2.08 WHIP. In his lone start, he pitched 4.1 innings and gave up six runs on nine hits with zero walks and one hit in an 8-1 loss to the Diamondbacks. Taillon gets the perfect antidote for his pitching woes in this matchup against the Athletics. They have a solid offense, at best, but not on the level of the Diamondbacks.
The Cubs' offense is characterized by inconsistency. They are 14th in team batting average at .251 after having a .242 average one season ago. Tucker has led the offense in almost every critical batting category. He leads in batting average at .323, home runs with three, RBI with 10, OBP at .400, and total hits with 10. This Chicago offense should play better against the Athletics and Springs, but it won't be easy. This instantly becomes one of the more interesting matchups in this game.
Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Athletics have struggled this season to a 69-93 record. The Athletics struggled behind the plate last season, and they have not stood out all that much this season, either. The pitching has also struggled and has not seen much improvement to start the 2025 season. Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Tyler Soderstrom, Max Muncy, Jacob Wilson, and Miguel Andujar have played well on an unimpressive offense to start the year. J.P. Sears, Jeffrey Springs, and Luis Severino have been solid on the mound. The Athletics should be better than last year, but it's hard to bet on them due to all of the off-field stuff surrounding the Athletics this year.
Jeffrey Springs is the starter for the Athletics in this game. He has a 1-0 record, a 0.00 ERA, and a 0.67 WHIP. In his lone start, he allowed zero runs on three hits with one walk and nine strikeouts through six innings in a 7-0 Athletics win over the Mariners. Springs has a lot of potential for the Athletics in this matchup, and he might have a significant advantage on this side of the field.
The offense for the Athletics has not been good at all. They are 19th in batting average with a .225 average after finishing last season with a .233 average. Soderstrom and Andujar lead the team in most batting categories this season. Soderstrom leads in batting average at .368, in home runs with three, in RBI with seven, and in total hits with seven. Finally, Andujar leads the team in OBP at .412. They should have an advantage on this side of the field because Taillon struggled so much to start the season.
Final Cubs-Athletics Prediction & Pick
The Cubs are the better team and should win this game against the Athletics. However, thanks to Springs, this game will become very low-scoring, and the Athletics should cover at home, even with Chicago winning outright.
Final Cubs-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Oakland Athletics +1.5 (-200)
