Braves and Cubs Sinking Quickly in Their Divisions
Both the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves are sinking quickly in their respective National League divisions.
The Cubs are 3-7 over their last ten games, and the defending World Champion Braves are 4-6 in their last ten games. Neither team is finding consistency with their offense nor their pitching staff.
Let’s check the latest MLB Picks, stats, injury reports, and MLB Odds for Cubs vs Braves. We’ve plenty of MLB Predictions.
Stroman Struggling Early
Marcus Stroman will make his fourth start of the season on Tuesday for the Chicago Cubs. He has struggled mightily in his last two starts, surrendering 12 earned runs over those two starts. He has not been as sharp as the Cubs would have hoped when they signed him this off-season.
Even though the Cubs are currently ranked second in runs per game right now, partially due to a 21-run onslaught Saturday against the Pirates, they are not giving enough run support to be giving up four to six runs to the other team on the mound.
On a positive note, the Cubs are swinging the bats well and relying on a totally different type of offensive style than fans have become accustomed to over the last several years.
They are a more contact-oriented club that is leading the MLB in batting average and is second in hits per game with just over nine. After all of the numbers, this has still led them to only a 1.188 run differential per game.
Time to Panic in Atlanta?
The Atlanta Braves have not looked like the same team that won last year’s World Series, however, it isn’t time to hit the panic button yet. Last year was a struggle most of the way until they struck it hot in August and rode that hot streak through to a World Series win.
The Braves are still missing key pieces, such as Ronald Acuna Jr., who is currently rehabbing with Triple-A Gwinnett and should be back sooner rather than later, barring any setbacks in his rehab assignment – to boot, the team just lost Eddie Rosario to a laser eye procedure to correct blurred vision – he is for the next 8-12 weeks.
Max Fried will be looking for a repeat performance of his last outing against the Dodgers, in which he picked up the win in seven innings of work with two hits and eight strikeouts.
His two starts before that, however, were a bit rocky as he allowed teams to spray hits frequently. This could spell trouble against a scrappy Cubs lineup.
The bats will need to stay consistent as the Braves have seemed to be very reliant upon the long ball up to this point in the season.
Cubs vs Braves Head-to-Head
The Braves dominated the 2021 season series between the two teams with a 5-2 record.
Interestingly enough, most of these games were lopsided affairs, with the winning team winning by five or more runs in five of the seven games. The games hit the over in five of the seven as well, resulting in numerous big scoring games.
This could be something to watch, but both offenses have been streaky as of late. But if history tells us anything, there could be some fireworks between the two teams as they could really mess up some sport bets.
Cubs vs Braves Game Information
- Game: Cubs (7-9) vs Braves (7-10)
- Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
- Day/Time: Tuesday, April 26, 7:20 p.m. ET
- Cubs vs Braves Streaming: MLB.tv
Cubs vs Braves Betting Lines
Cubs vs Braves Prediction
MLB lines are showing the Cubs to be a +141 underdog in this matchup with the Braves, but with the way both teams are playing right now, it is a surprise that the line is not closer. The biggest impact on the betting line might be the lack of big-name producers in the Cubs lineup paired with Max Fried’s recent good start and Marcus Stroman’s struggles to start the season.
The safe bet would be to go with the Braves as the favorite, but where is the fun in that. Taking the Chicago Cubs as the underdog against another struggling team could pay well.
When you bet online, take the moneyline for the underdog Cubs at +141 against the Braves.
