The Atlanta Braves (27-17) travel to face off against the Chicago Cubs (26-22) on Tuesday, May 21st. This game will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago and televised on BSSO. The Braves are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cubs are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pirates. First pitch is set for 7:40 ET.
Braves vs Cubs
Heading into their last game vs. the Padres, the Braves closed out the series with a 3-0 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -244. Offensively, the Braves scored their three runs on json11 hits and only hit one home run.
Chris Sale put together a good start for the Braves, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out nine Padres batters. Marcell Ozuna was hot at the plate, going 2/3 with a homer and two RBIs.
With a record of 27-17, the Braves are five games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. So far, they have gone 10-5 against other teams in the NL East. The Braves will be looking to pick up a win today, as they lost three of four in their series vs. the Padres.
At home, the Braves have gone 16-8 this season and are just above .500 at 11-9 on the road. As the favorite, the Braves have gone 27-14 and are 0-3 as the underdog. Their overall series record is 10-4-1 this year.
When the Braves are on the road, they have a run line record of 12-8, and they have covered the run line in three straight games. Their average run margin in winning games is 3.6, and their overall run line record is 23-21. They are 21-20 against the run line as the favorite and 2-1 as the underdog.
Atlanta’s games have gone under the over/under line in 28 of 42 games this season, and the average combined run total in their games is 8.3. The Braves’ games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs, and their games have gone under the over/under line in 97.7% of their games this season. Their games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs, and their games have gone under the over/under line in 97.7% of their games this season.
Charlie Morton Gets The Start For The Braves
Right-hander Charlie Morton gets the start for the Braves today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made eight starts this year and has a record of 3-1 with a 3.52 ERA. Morton’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.15. Looking back at his last outing, Morton took the loss vs. the Cubs, giving up three earned runs in three innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Morton has made four quality starts this year and is averaging 8.61 strikeouts per nine innings.
Braves Offense Breakdown
Marcell Ozuna has been on a tear of late, going 12/31 in his last nine games with two homers and five RBIs. Ozuna is currently on a 13-game hitting streak and leads the MLB in RBIs with 43. For the season, he is batting .327, which is the best mark on the Braves. Matt Olson is also swinging a hot bat right now, going 11/32 in his last nine games with two homers and seven RBIs.
Overall, the Braves are averaging 4.6 runs per game and have been even better on the road, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .254, which is the 6th best mark in the league. Atlanta’s team OPS of .735 is also 7th in the MLB.
The Cubs will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Pirates with a 3-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Pirates scored two runs in the top of the 9th. Chicago was the -130 favorite at home going into the game.
Jameson Taillon had a rough outing, giving up three earned runs on six hits and issuing two walks. He only lasted json4 2/3 innings and took the loss. The Cubs also wasted a good performance from Jason Heyward, who went 2/3 with a run scored.
Chicago opens their series vs. the Braves 26-22 overall, putting them 2nd in the NL Central, 1.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. The Cubs went 5-5 in their first 10 divisional games this year. The Cubs dropped three of four in their series vs. the Pirates.
At home, the Cubs are 14-9 this year compared to 12-13 on the road. So far, they have been good as the favorite, going 12-8, and they are an even 14-14 as the underdog. Chicago’s overall series record is 7-6-2, and they have lost two straight series.
Chicago has been a profitable run line bet overall, going 25-23, but they’ve been better on the road, where they are 15-10 against the run line. The Cubs have been a better run line bet as the underdog, going 19-9, compared to just 6-14 as the favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is 3.2, while it drops to -3.5 in losses.
Chicago’s over/under record is 20-26, and the average over/under line in their games is 8 runs. Their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game, and their over/under record when the line is set at 10.5 runs is 0-1. The Cubs have had 47 games with over/under lines set lower than 10.5 runs, and their games have gone under in two straight contests.
Javier Assad Gets The Start For The Cubs
Through nine starts, Javier Assad has yet to take a loss, going 4-0 with an ERA of 1.49. He has made three quality starts this year and is coming off a game in which he didn’t allow a run. In that outing vs. the Braves, he went six innings, giving up four hits and one walk. Overall, he has allowed just two homers this year. Looking at his walk numbers, Assad is averaging 2.79 per nine innings compared to 7.82 strikeouts. At home, his ERA is 0.88, compared to 2.13 on the road.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
Christopher Morel has been a big power threat for the Cubs this season, as his nine home runs are 8th in the league and leads the team. However, he is batting just .216. Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch are tied for 2nd on the team with seven homers apiece. Bellinger is batting .263 for the season, while Busch is at .245. Nico Hoerner has been a solid contact hitter for the Cubs, batting .269 with a pair of homers.
Over his last seven games, Cody Bellinger is hitting .296, but he has yet to go deep during that stretch. Mike Tauchman and Seiya Suzuki both have one homer apiece in their last seven games, but Tauchman has gone 6/29 in that stretch, while Suzuki is 4/21. Miguel Amaya and Ian Happ have both struggled of late, with Amaya going 2/15 and Happ going just 1/17.
Braves vs Cubs Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Braves vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line, with the payout sitting at +107. We have the Cubs winning this one by a score of 5.1 to 5.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Javier Assad finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Charlie Morton, who we have racking up seven K’s. However, we have Assad finishing with a higher ERA than Morton, coming in at 4.5 compared to Morton at 3.9.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 21, 2024 Braves, Cubs