Athletics vs Cubs Prediction & MLB Odds For Tuesday, September 17th

Both the Athletics and Cubs will be looking to pick up a win in tonight’s interleague matchup, as Oakland is 65-86 compared to the Cubs at 77-73. However, the Athletics are the underdog on the money line (+139), while the Cubs are favored at -165. Tuesday’s forecast in Chicago calls for clear skies and temperatures in the upper 70s.

First pitch from Wrigley Field is set for 7:40 PM ET, and NSPCA will be televising this one. Mitch Spence is starting for the Athletics, while the Cubs are going with Jordan Wicks. Chicago is currently on a two-game winning streak, and they are 2nd in the NL Central.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Athletics 1.5 (-161) | Cubs -1.5 (+131)
• Total: 8
• MoneyLine: Athletics +139 | Cubs -165

All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Athletics vs. Cubs Prediction: Moneyline

Chicago cruised to a 9-2 win over the Athletics in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a huge 2nd inning, scoring five of their nine runs. As for the Athletics, they scored their only two runs in the 3rd. Heading into the game, the Cubs were favored at -200 on the money line.

Shota Imanaga started for the Cubs and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up two earned runs. Joey Estes got the start for the Athletics and took the loss, going just one inning and giving up six earned runs.

At the plate, the Cubs were led by Dansby Swanson and Miguel Amaya, as they were the only two Cubs hitters to have more than one hit. Swanson, Isaac Paredes, and Seiya Suzuki each had two RBIs for Chicago’s offense.

Oakland comes into today’s road matchup vs. the Cubs having dropped three straight games, and they are 16.5 games out of the AL West lead. Overall, the Athletics are 65-86, and they are 21-25 against other AL West teams. At home, the Athletics are 36-39 this year, and they are 29-47 on the road.

As the underdog, the Athletics are 53-79 this season compared to 12-7 as the favorite. Oakland’s overall series record is 18-25-5, and they trail the Cubs in this series 0-1. Over their last 10 games, the Athletics are 4-6.

With a record of 77-73, the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 10 games. The Cubs have won two straight games, and they took the first game of their series vs. the Athletics. So far, they are just 21-28 in divisional games.

Chicago has been good at home this year, going 39-33 compared to 38-40 on the road. As the favorite, the Cubs are 40-35 this year and 37-38 as the underdog. The Cubs’ overall series record is 21-24-3, and they are 5-5 in their last 10 games overall.

Athletics vs. Cubs Prediction: Over/Under

The Oakland Athletics are in Chicago to take on the Cubs, and the Over/Under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average in Athletics games this season is 8.7 runs, and their Over/Under record is 71-78. When the O/U line is set at 8 runs, their record is 19-17-1. This season, 49.0% of their games have had O/U lines set above 8 runs, while 26.5% have had lines set below 8 runs.

So far this season, the Athletics have been one of the league’s top home run-hitting teams, but they have struggled to score runs consistently, as they are just 26th in the league at 4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .235 and are also near the bottom of the league in terms of strikeouts. Oakland’s team on-base percentage of .303 is just 17th in the league.

Brent Rooker has been a bright spot for the Athletics this season, as he is batting .302 with a team-high 38 home runs and 109 RBIs. Rooker has also been hot of late, going 15/44 in his last 10 games with three homers. He is also on a seven-game hitting streak. Catcher Shea Langeliers is also near the top of the league in homers, but he is batting just .217 for the season.

Today’s over/under line for the Chicago Cubs game against the Oakland Athletics is set at 8 runs. The Cubs have an over/under record of 71-74 on the season, and their games have averaged a combined 8.8 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, the Cubs have a record of 12-17-1 in those games. So far this season, 50.0% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs.

Over the past seven games, Michael Busch and Isaac Paredes have been swinging the bat well for the Cubs. Busch has gone 11/27 with four homers during this stretch, while Paredes has gone 13/26. However, Paredes has yet to go deep in this stretch. Busch is 2nd on the team with 20 homers, while Ian Happ leads the squad with 23 homers and is also the team’s top run producer with 83 RBIs.

As a team, the Cubs are averaging 4.6 runs per game and have been even better on the road, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are 12th in scoring and have the league’s 16th ranked home run total. Their team batting average of .243 is also 12th in the majors.

Athletics vs. Cubs Prediction: Spread

Despite a run line record of 41-35 on the road, the Oakland Athletics have failed to cover the run line in three straight road games. They are 7-12 against the run line as the favorite, but 75-57 as the underdog.

Oakland is sending Mitch Spence to the mound today, and he comes in with a record of 7-9 and ERA of 4.33. So far, he has made 21 starts and 32 total appearances. Spence has pitched better at home this year, with a 3.78 ERA compared to 6.63 on the road. He has made four quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he went seven innings, giving up two earned runs, and didn’t allow a homer. In his last 16 road appearances, he is 3-4 with a 6.63 ERA.

Chicago has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 74-76 overall. They have been especially good on the road, going 46-32 against the run line. The Cubs are 28-44 against the run line at home, but they have covered in their last two games at Wrigley Field. They are 25-50 against the run line as the favorite and 49-26 as the underdog.

Chicago is sending left-hander Jordan Wicks to the mound today vs. the Athletics. He has made nine starts this year and has a record of 2-3 with a 5.27 ERA. Wicks most recently faced the Dodgers, where he gave up seven earned runs in just three innings of work. In that outing, he gave up four home runs. Before that, he had pitched well, giving up a total of two earned runs in his previous three starts. Wicks’ WHIP for the season is 1.61, and opponents are batting .274 off him this year.

Athletics vs. Cubs Pick: Over 8 Runs -117

Our prediction for today’s Athletics vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs to pick up the win at home. However, with the money line sitting at -165, we actually like the over, with the line being set at 8 runs.

Looking at our projections, we have the Cubs coming out on top with a final score of 6-5. As for some potential player props, Jordan Wicks is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which has him as the seventh best among today’s starters.