Saturday’s MLB slate is jam-packed with plenty of games as the entire league takes the field at some point throughout the day. Aftershocks of the Trade Deadline are still reverberating, and this game is no exception as the Chicago Cubs host the Baltimore Orioles in the early window.
Here’s a Cubs vs. Orioles prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for this Saturday afternoon matinee.
Cubs vs. Orioles prediction, preview
It’s a tale of two seasons for these teams as the Cubs continue pushing toward a deep playoff run while the Orioles sold off at the Deadline. Chicago’s 64-45 record leaves them just a single game back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place as they fight to get back into the lead in the NL Central. The Cubbies are 7-6 since the All-Star Game but are looking to capture their third win in a row this evening.
Baltimore’s baseball team saw plenty of tough moments so far this year and vastly underperformed expectations. They’re 50-60 overall and 7-8 since the All-Star break, but that probably won’t last long after they traded away Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Ramon Laureano, Ramon Urias and Charlie Morton. That’s a haul of players to lose, so it’s clear the Orioles are aiming to build for the future.
Last night’s matchup between these teams wasn’t exactly a thriller — the Cubs won 1-0 with four total hit, two from Carson Kelly with the walk-off RBI coming on a sacrifice fly from Ian Happ. The Orioles tallied just three hits in the outing, and they probably won’t have an easier time today given the pitching matchup.
Lefty Matthew Boyd (2.47 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 110 SO) draws the start for the Cubs against right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (4.38 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 71 SO). Chicago’s stars should have an easier time this afternoon than they did against Trevor Rogers yesterday, but the opposite probably rings true for Baltimore as they take on a talented southpaw without several of their top batters in the lineup after trades.
Cubs vs. Orioles pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Cubs as -226 home favorites on the Moneyline on Saturday while the visiting Orioles come in as +182 underdogs. The run total sits at 7.5.
This looks like an opportunity to take Cubs -1.5 at -105 odds. Chicago’s offense has been one of the best in baseball all season, and while they’ve seen more inconsistency since the All-Star Game with a .246 average and .731 OPS that rank middle-of-the-pack, they see a positive matchup against Sugano.
While the Orioles’ starter largely limits walks and has a respectable H/9, he doesn’t generate strikeouts at a high rate with a whiff percentage and strikeout percentage in the bottom 10th percentile. He’s also prone to allowing home runs with a 1.73 HR/9, so this Cubs lineup which excels at blasting the long ball could take advantage of his ninth-percentile barrel rate as well. Chicago finds themselves positioned for an offensive showcase.
Best bet: CHI Cubs -1.5 (-105)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
