If there were an award for the league’s most disappointing team, the Atlanta Braves would be prime contenders for that (dis)honor. The Braves, who nabbed a Wild Card spot last season despite playing for most of the year without reigning MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., entered the season with championship aspirations, but those hopes were quickly dashed when they started off 0-7. This week’s series against the Chicago Cubs, which would’ve looked like a possible playoff preview when the schedule was released, is now merely a sad reminder of how far Atlanta has fallen.
For the series’ second game, which will start at 7:40 p.m. ET, Joey Wentz will take the mound for the Braves and Shota Imanaga will start for the Cubs.
Let’s break down this matchup with some odds and lines at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs prediction, preview
Chicago doesn’t have much more to play for this series than Atlanta does. While the Cubs are technically still in the race for the NL Central title, the 5.5-game margin that separates them from the Milwaukee Brewers will be difficult to make up, and with a five-game lead over the New York Mets for the final Wild Card spot, Chicago should cruise to a playoff berth with ease. For the Cubs, it should be all about making sure their guys are healthy, and, in the case of recently-slumping sluggers Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong, in form. The Braves are looking forward to 2026 after injuries decimated the entire pitching staff and picked up former MVP vote-getter Ha-Seong Kim on waivers.
Wentz has appeared for three different teams this season, putting up a 4.15 ERA in 19 relief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a 15.75 mark in six relief outings with the Minnesota Twins, and a 3.43 mark in nine outings (eight starts) with Atlanta. The 27-year-old, who was weaned in the Braves’ system before making his debut with the Detroit Tigers, ranks in just the 11th percentile in average exit velocity, a trend that has continued even in his Atlanta stint. He’s also issued walks at just a 15th-percentile clip, which could be an issue against a team that ranked among the league’s top seven in walk rate in each of the past three seasons. Wentz has gotten plenty of assistance from his defense and Chicago has had the sixth-worst BABIP since the All-Star break, so he might be able to limit the damage.
Imanaga should be able to out-duel him regardless. The Japanese southpaw finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting as a rookie last season and has been nearly as good in 2025, pitching to just a 2.65 ERA in August. Advanced stats are generally kind to Imanaga, who ranks in the 91st percentile in overall pitching run value. In large part, that’s because of his exceptional control: he ranks in the 95th percentile in walk rate, one season after leading the NL in strikeout-to-walk ratio. That control should help him navigate a Braves lineup that has drawn the third-most free passes this season. Plus, while Imanaga has given up too many fly balls, Atlanta has hit grounders at the 10th-highest clip.
Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 8.5 (-108)
The Cubs drop from the league’s seventh-ranked offense against righties to the ninth-ranked offense against southpaws, and while the Braves are one position better (17th instead of 18th), their raw OPS number isn’t impressive. Neither team is particularly suited to capitalize on either starter’s weaknesses, Wentz’s control issues aside.
Strong Lean: Shota Imanaga 6+ Strikeouts (+120)
Imanaga has shown off some length as of late, pitching into the seventh inning in each of his last five starts, and he’s recorded six or more strikeouts in three of those five games. Only two teams have struck out more times since the All-Star break than Atlanta has.
