The Marlins face the Cubs in Chicago! Our MLB odds series has our Marlins Cubs prediction, odds, and pick for Thursday.
The Marlins are another team that is competing for the title of worst team in the MLB. Their bats have struggled up to this point in the season, ranking near the bottom of the MLB in team batting average. Their pitching is somehow even worse than how their bats have been up to this point in the season. Bryan De la Cruz, Luis Arraez, Jake Burger, and Nick Gordon have been able to stand out despite the offensive struggles behind the plate. Trevor Rogers and Ryan Weathers have been decent on the mound for a struggling pitching staff. The Marlins have struggled across the board this season and it does not get any easier in this matchup.
The Cubs have started the season playing well with a 10-7 record. They are 3-2 in their last five games, but they lost in their last time out. Their bats and pitching have been okay at best to start the year, but it has not mattered and they have been just finding ways to win. On offense, Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki lead the way on offense and have done the most damage behind the plate, but Suzuki suffered an injury to his oblique and is out for roughly four weeks. Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad have been the pitchers that have stepped up for the Cubs the most with Justin Steele injured and Kyle Hendricks struggling so far up to this point.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Marlins-Cubs Odds
Miami Marlins: +1.5 (-170)
Moneyline: +128
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+140)
Moneyline: -152
Over: 8 (-105)
Under: 8 (-115)
How to Watch Marlins vs. Cubs
Time: 7:40 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports Florida
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Marlins Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Marlins are going with A.J. Puk to start on the mound. He's started out the year with a 0-3 record, a 5.91 ERA, and a 2.44 WHIP. Through 10.2 innings, he has eight strikeouts to 14 walks and he has allowed 12 hits and one home run. In his last time out, he pitched 4.2 innings and gave up two runs on five hits with five walks and two outs. Last season, Puk was inconsistent on the mound with a 7-5 record, a 3.97 ERA, and a 1.18 WHIP. Puk makes his fourth start this season and in three previous ones, he struggled even with it being the catalyst for a bullpen game for the Marlins. He has allowed at least three hits in all of his appearances so far and at least four runs in two of his three appearances. This matchup presents a challenge despite some injuries for the Cubs behind the plate.
The Marlins' offense has struggled to start the season. They are 25th in team batting average at .217 after finishing last season with a .259 batting average. The offense is led by Bryan De La Cruz, Jake Burger, and Luis Arraez. De La Cruz leads in batting average at .287 and in total hits at 23. Burger leads in RBI at 15 and is tied for the lead in home runs at three and then Arraez leads in OBP at .353. They will need to do a lot in this matchup against an injured Cubs pitching staff.
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs are putting Jameson Taillon on the mound for his first start of the season. Last season, he had an 8-10 record, a 4.84 ERA, and a 1.28 WHIP through 154.1 innings. He also had 140 strikeouts and 41 walks last year with a K/BB ratio of 3.4. The Marlins have struggled behind the plate this season, so this is a good place for Taillon to make his debut on paper against a team like Florida and how much they have struggled overall up to this point.
The Cubs' offense has slowly ramped up this season. They are 11th in team batting average at .247 after finishing last season with a .254 batting average. The offense is led by Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, and Ian Happ. With Suzuki's injury, Busch, Hoerner, and Happ will need to step up even more. Despite his injury, Suzuki leads the Cubs in batting average at .305 and in RBI at 13. Busch leads the team in home runs at six, Hoerner leads the team in OBP at .403, and Happ leads the team in total hits at 18. Their offense revving up gets another good opportunity against a team that is struggling as much as the Marlins.
Final Marlins-Cubs Prediction & Pick
The Marlins have fallen off hard this season after the season they had last year where they just barely missed the playoffs. Their offense has taken a nosedive and their pitching is not where it should be at all. The Cubs are dealing with a lot of injuries, but are still winning games thanks to a very good offense and a pitching staff that has stayed solid despite their injuries. The Cubs are the better team in this spot at home and have given bettors more to trust overall. Expect the Cubs to win easily.
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Final Marlins-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Cubs -1.5 (+140)
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