Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs Preview and Prediction
Despite outscoring the Pirates 29-12 in their four game series, the Cubs dropped three of four as the Braves lost two of three to the Marlins. Something has to give as Sportsmemo MLB analyst Eric Pauly offers his Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs preview for Tuesday, April 26.
Tuesday, April 26 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
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Moneyline: | Atlanta Braves (-160) vs Chicago Cubs (+150) |
Runline: | Braves -1.5 (+115) / Cubs +1.5 (-135) |
Total: | 8 Runs (Over -105 / Under -115) |
Game Time: | 7:20pm ET / 4:20pm PT |
Where: | Truist Park in Atlanta, GA |
Weather: | 65 Degrees / Clear |
Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs Analysis
After losing a four-game series to the Pirates, the Chicago Cubs travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves. The Braves also dropped their last series, they lost 2-1 to the Marlins at home.
Free-agent acquisition Marcus Stroman will take the hill for the Cubs and lefty Max Fried will take the bump for the Braves. Atlanta is a -170 home favorite, the run line is 1.5, and the total is set at eight runs.
Fried Looking to Fry The Competition
So far, the title defense has not been going as planned for Atlanta. The Braves are 7-10 to start the season and are doing well offensively, but their pitching staff has taken a step backward. Braves pitchers are averaging a 4.59 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, both in the lower third of the league.
Lefty Max Fried will take the hill for the Braves. Fried looked shaky in his first start of the season, did better in his second, and looked like the pitcher he was last year in his third.
Fried went 7 innings against the Dodgers and allowed just two hits and no runs. Fried is tasked with shutting down the Cubs offense that is second in the MLB in runs.
Cubs Team a Head Scratcher
The Cubs do not have high expectations as a ball club this season, and they have had a mixed start to the season. In one game they put up 21 runs vs the Pirates, but they lost the other three games in the series to a clearly inferior foe. Chicago is 7-9 so far this season.
Marcus Stroman takes the mound for Chicago and he has had a rough start to his Cubs career. Over three starts, Stroman has pitched 13.1 innings and has allowed 14 runs on 16 hits. The Cubs have lost all three of the games Stroman has started this season.
Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs Prediction
The Braves are a heavy home favorite tonight (-160) and I think the line is correct. I do not love laying that much on a baseball moneyline, so I am looking at the total instead. I like this game to go over 8 runs.
The Cubs get on base as much as any team in baseball and have a team .354 OBP. The Braves, despite their low average as a team, have a .412 slugging percentage. Fried has not been great so far this year and neither has Stroman. I expect some runs to come from both sides of this game.
Prediction: Over 8 Total Runs Scored
Interested in placing a bet on Tuesday’s Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs clash? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
First Pitch | MLB Betting Preview for April 26
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. The MLB’s only interleague series starting up today features a in-state battle between the Athletics and Giants. Who will take the first one of this two game series? Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOVXBk-aQME[/embedyt]
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Tuesday’s baseball games, including this Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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