Cubs vs. Athletics odds, prediction: weather opens play on total

The Cubs are starting to heat up, and we have Cubs vs. Athletics odds and predictions for Wednesday’s matchup in Oakland.

The Cubbies have won three straight and seven of their past 10, as the middle of the lineup is cleaning up. Everyone from Nico Hoerner to Patrick Wisdom is smashing the ball.

Meanwhile, the A’s have lost nine of their past 10 and are widely considered the worst team in baseball. And they’re calling up starting pitcher Mason Miller to make his MLB debut after making only 11 minor league starts.

Yikes.

So, is betting on the Cubs a no-brainer on Wednesday?

Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook, current at the time of writing and subject to change.

Moneyline: Cubs (-156) vs. Athletics (+132)

Spread: Cubs -1.5 (+112) vs. Athletics +1.5 (-134)

Total: Over 7.5 (-105) | Under 7.5 (-115)

Under 7.5 (-115) | Play to 7.5 (-115)

Yes, Miller is a very young, very inexperienced starting pitcher. However, he also stands 6 feet 6 and weighs 225 pounds with a triple-digit 70-grade fastball and a plus slider.

Given the state of the A’s organization, Miller might already be the best guy in the rotation. He definitely has the best raw stuff — stuff that could translate immediately to the majors.

So, while it seems tough to believe, the A’s are slightly undervalued compared to this market price.

But opposing Miller is Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele, who is putting together a breakout season. He’s posted three consecutive quality starts, compiling a 1.42 ERA across 19 innings with elite batted-ball statistics.

Steele has a fine fastball, but his slider turns heads. Hitters swing and miss on nearly 40% of Steele’s sliders, and only one out of the 26 batters to face it has recorded a hit (Chris Taylor, who surprisingly took the pitch for a home run).

So, ultimately, I think this game has sneaky pitchers’ duel potential.

The worry is that the Cubs lineup has been great, and the Athletics bullpen is horrific. However, offsetting those issues is Oakland’s bottom-10 lineup (by wRC+) and Chicago’s top-five bullpen (by xFIP).

But the biggest part of this handicap is the weather. Oakland Coliseum is already a pitchers’ park, but the colder weather (mid-50s) should deaden the ball, decreasing overall run production for everyone.

As expected, BallParkPal projects a -34% home run factor and -16% run factor in the Coliseum on Wednesday afternoon.

Overall, I believe we’re in for a lower-scoring game relative to the market. The Action Network App’s PRO model projects the total closer to 7.2, so I recommend grabbing under 7.5 (-115) or better.