Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs Odds, Picks and Predictions

THE Atlanta Braves (28-18) and Chicago Cubs (27-23) meet for the final of a 3-game series on Thursday. First pitch at Wrigley Field is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let’s analyze the FanDuel Sportsbook lines around the Braves vs. Cubs odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: Atlanta leads 3-2

Atlanta beat Chicago 9-2 on Wednesday while being a -123 road favorite. The Braves led 2-1 before scoring 6 runs in the 7th inning to take control. Atlanta is 2-1 in their last 3 games.

LHP Justin Steele took the loss for Chicago, pitching 6 1/3 innings with 5 ER, 6 H, 1 BB and 5 K. The Cubs have lost 2 of their last 3.

Braves among Cubs projected starters

RHP AJ Smith Shawver against RHP Ben Brown

Smith-Shawver (1-2, 6.10 ERA) makes his season debut and 7th career MLB appearance. He has a 1.52 WHIP, 4.9 BB/9 and 10.2 K/9 in 31 IP at AAA.

• Career vs. Cubs: 0-0, 2.45 ERA (3 2/3 IP, 1 ER), 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K in 1 start
• Career in majors: 1-0, 4.26 ERA (25 1/3 IP, 12 ER), 17 H, 11 BB, 20 K in 5 starts and 1 relief appearance

Brown (1-1, 3.57 ERA) is making his 5th start. He has a 1.25 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 9.9 K/9 in 35 1/3 IP.

• Last start: No decision, 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, 5 K in a 7-6 loss to the New York Mets on May 2
• Career vs. Atlanta: 0-0, 4.50 ERA (2 IP, 1 ER), 4 H, 0 BB, 3 K in 1 relief appearance

Win your fantasy baseball league with BaseballHQ.com. For decades, BHQ has been helping players like you win! BHQ offers Draft Prep and full season memberships. Sign up today and start earning!

Braves alongside the Cubs

Powered by FanDuel Sportsbook; Go to the USA TODAY Sports Sports Betting Scores & Odds hub for a complete list. Lines last updated at 12:16 a.m. ET.

• Money Line (ML): Braves -125 (bet $126 to win $100) | Cubs +108 (bet $100 to win $108)
• Running Line (RL)/Against the Spread (ATS): Braves -1.5 (+130) | Cubs +1.5 (-160)
• More/Less (Y/U): 9 (O: -115 | U: -105)

Braves picks and predictions at Cubs

Prediction

Braves 4, Cubs 3

Money line

LEAN BRAVES (-125).

Atlanta is 2-1 in their last 3 games while Chicago is just 2-4 in their last 6 home games. The Braves are also 6-2 in their last 8 meetings against Chicago overall.

That’s a poor record because Chicago is 3-1 in their last 4 meetings with Atlanta in Chicago and because both teams are only 4-6 in their last 10 matches.

Running Line/Against the Spread

PASS.

I like that the Cubs cover here as +1.5 (-160) underdogs, especially considering how cold Atlanta has been by its own standards recently. However, the line is not worth the risk of betting as it is currently defined, so bet on the moneyline and/or the total instead.

More less

BET UNDER 9 (-105).

The Under has hit in 3 of Chicago’s last 4 games and is 6-3-1 in their last 10 games overall. For Atlanta, the Under is 2-1 in their last 3 outings and 7-3 in their last 10. The Under has also scored in 5 of the last 6 Atlanta-Chicago matchups.

Play our free daily Choose Them Challenge and win! Play now!

For more choices and advice on sports bettingcheck out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow @payton_shanks on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X And Like us on Facebook.

Additional MLB coverage:
BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball