Braves vs. Cubs Monday Prediction
After taking two of three from their cross-town rivals over the weekend, the Chicago Cubs will open a new series at Wrigley Field Monday afternoon versus the Atlanta Braves. Will Atlanta pull off the upset in Game 1 of the series?
Game Snapshot & Odds
917 Atlanta Braves (+153) at 918 Chicago Cubs (-163)
Monday, May 14, 2018
2:20 p.m. ET, Wrigley Field
TV: ATL (FSSO); CHC (WGN)
Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new Baseball Odds & Betting Page.
Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Cubs as a -163 favorite. As of this writing, 58% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Braves to beat the Cubs on the money line. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on this game.
Braves’ Teheran strikes out seven in six scoreless in last start
Julio Teheran fanned seven batters while firing six scoreless innings to earn a 5-2 win over the Rays on Wednesday. He sprinkled just four hits and did not issue a walk in the gem outing. Teheran is one of the major reasons why the Braves have been surprisingly good this year. He improves to 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.16 WHIP after eight starts. He has 42 strikeouts and 18 walks in 43 innings pitched. He is scheduled for two starts next week, against the Cubs and Marlins.
Cubs’ Quintana dominates in win over Marlins
Jose Quintana gave up just five hits and one run over six stellar innings Wednesday in the Cubs’ lopsided win over Miami. He racked up five strikeouts and only walked two of the 24 batters he faced. Quintana allowed just one extra-base hit, a leadoff triple to Brian Anderson in the fourth inning. Anderson would score later in the frame on Justin Bour’s groundout to second base. The Cubs jumped out to an early 9-0 lead, which obviously took some of the pressure off Quintana. The left-hander has now won three of his last four starts while lowering his ERA from 8.16 to 4.42. He’ll make his next start Tuesday in Atlanta.
MLB Betting Trends
Atlanta
The Braves have won 10 of their last 11 games on the road and have won five of six overall.
Chicago
The Cubs are 5-1 in their last six games overall and are 10-1 in Quintana’s last 11 home starts.
Prediction:
The Braves have won six of Teheran’s last seven starts against the Cubs, are 4-1 in his last five outings overall, and are 7-1 in his last eight outings when facing a team with a winning record. The Braves have also won six straight road games against a left-handed starter and five straight on the road versus a team with a winning record. This is a good spot to take the underdog.
The Pick: Atlanta Braves +153