Teams that have been on a tear meet when the Chicago Cubs battle the Atlanta Braves in a key National League matchup at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Friday. The Cubs (56-53), winners of 15 of their past 21 games, have won three straight. The Braves (69-37), who have won five of six, have the best record in baseball. The teams split last year’s series 3-3. This will be their first meeting this season. Max Fried (2-1, 2.08 ERA) will be on the mound for Atlanta. The 2022 NL Cy Young runner-up has been on the 60-day IL due to a shoulder injury.
The game is slated to begin at 2:20 p.m. ET. The Braves are batting .270 as a team, second-best in MLB, while the Cubs are batting .258, seventh-best. The Braves are -177 favorites (risk $177 to win $100) on the money line in the latest Braves vs. Cubs odds from the SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total runs scored is 8.5. Before making any Cubs vs. Braves picks, be sure to check out the latest MLB predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It went 331-285 on top-rated MLB money-line picks (+357) over the past two seasons. It entered Week 19 of the 2023 MLB season 49-39 on all top-rated MLB picks this season and has excelled on top-rated run-line picks, going 11-3 (+504). Anybody following has seen big returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Braves vs. Cubs and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several MLB betting lines and trends for Cubs vs. Braves:
- Braves vs. Cubs money line: Atlanta -177, Chicago +149
- Braves vs. Cubs over/under: 8.5 runs
- Braves vs. Cubs run line: Atlanta -1.5 (-106)
- ATL: +537 on the money line overall this season
- CHI: The Cubs are 30-27 at home this season
- Braves vs. Cubs picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back the Braves
Third baseman Austin Riley has been on a roll. He has hits in each of the last eight games, with two doubles, three homers and five RBI in that span. For the season, he is hitting .276 with 19 doubles, one triple, 25 homers and 66 RBI. In 17 career appearances against Chicago, Riley is hitting .278 with two homers and seven RBI.
Also helping power the Braves’ offense is second baseman Ozzie Albies. The seventh-year veteran has hit safely in two consecutive games and in six of the past seven. He has three multi-hit games during that stretch, including a 2-for-4 performance against the Angels on Wednesday when he doubled, tripled and drove in two runs. For the season, he is batting .258 with 24 homers, 76 RBI and 64 runs scored. See which team to back here.
Why you should back the Cubs
Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (4-5, 3.49 ERA) will start for Chicago. Hendricks has been solid this season, allowing no more than three runs in an outing over the past three starts. Despite taking the loss in a 3-0 decision at St. Louis in his last start on July 30, he went seven innings, allowing eight hits, three earned runs and one walk, while striking out two. He has faced Atlanta eight times, including seven starts, but is 1-4.
Center fielder Cody Bellinger enters with a five-game hitting streak. In Tuesday’s 20-9 win over Cincinnati, Bellinger was 3-for-6 with a homer, three RBI and three runs scored. In 32 career games against Atlanta, he is hitting .248 with five doubles, one triple, seven homers and 14 RBI. In 78 games this season, he is hitting .315 with 16 homers, 51 RBI and 60 runs scored. See which team to back here.
How to make Cubs vs. Braves picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 10.8 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model’s MLB picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Braves vs. Cubs, and which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that has gone 49-39 on its top-rated MLB picks, and find out.
