On Friday night, the Chicago Cubs (73-55) have a rare moment in the MLB’s late-slate spotlight as they head to Los Angeles for the first of three meetings against the Angels (61-66). With Chicago now largely bouncing back after a rough patch, they’re well-positioned for this contest against an up-and-down Halos squad.
Here’s an Angels vs. Cubs prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday night.
Angels vs. Cubs prediction, preview
The Angels are 5-5 across their last 10 games with a 14-17 record overall since the All-Star break. Their approach is one which relies on the long ball to score more often than not. Since the ASG, Los Angeles ranks 17th in runs (140) with the 16th-best OPS (.724) and 13th-most homers (40). However, the team bats just .234 over that span, a mark which falls 26th among the entire MLB. Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell and Zach Neto have all played significant roles, but aside from those four, consistent contributions are hard to come by in this lineup. With a pitching staff that ranks 27th in ERA (4.67) and 28th in WHIP (1.43), there’s work to be done if the Halos are to emerge as a playoff team in the future.
As for the Cubs, they came out of the break slow and are just 16-16 since then. However, they’re 6-4 over their last 10 games and took three wins over the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers over their last five games, so there are encouraging signs of a reversion to prior form for Chicago. The team’s stats at the plate since the ASG essentially all rank in the bottom-10 spots whether it be average (.228), OPS (.666), home runs (31), or just overall scoring (117). A major slump from both Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker has nullified much of the offensive production, but it seems like just about everyone has had a tough time at the dish as Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch and Trade Deadline add Willi Castro are all batting below .200 over that sample. The pitching has needed to step up lately and has delivered though, as Chicago ranks seventh in ERA (3.72) and second in WHIP (1.15) since then.
If the Cubs were in full form right now, this would look like an easy win on the road. However, their struggles at the plate certainly make things more interesting tonight against the Angels.
Angels vs. Cubs pick, best bet
UPDATE: The Cubs have now named Javier Assad (5.63 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, five SO) the starter for tonight as the 28-year-old makes his third appearance of the year. While he’s not as susceptible to the long ball as Brown is, he still allowed eight hits and four earned runs in one start, with five hits allowed and one earned run in his other contest. He went just four innings in each of those, and while he may not stay in this game long, I still like Angels +1.5 at -148 odds as tonight’s top pick.
Updated odds now reflect the Angels at +108 on the Moneyline with the Cubs listed at -132.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Cubs -149 Moneyline favorites on the road tonight. The Angels are listed at +123 on the Moneyline with the run total set at 9.5.
However, those lines are always subject to shift, especially since the Cubs haven’t named a starter yet with a few hours to go before first pitch. It looks like Ben Brown (5.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 108 SO) might get the starting nod, but that status remains TBD at the moment. As for the Angels, left-hander Tyler Anderson (4.77 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 98 SO) takes the mound.
If Brown is indeed the starter for Chicago tonight, then this may end up a rather close contest. The second-year right-hander’s rate numbers don’t look great and he’s also vulnerable to the long ball with a 1.55 HR/9 and a first-percentile average exit velocity of 92.1 mph. The Angels can definitely take advantage of that, and with how poorly the Cubs have hit as of late, projecting a big night on offense for them may be a mistake — even against Anderson, who hasn’t pitched well this year himself.
This game might be an ugly one, but I’m taking the Angels to cover +1.5 tonight.
Best bet: LA Angels +1.5 (-132)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
