MLB Odds: Cubs vs Athletics prediction, pick, how to watch

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17 April 2023

MLB Odds: Cubs vs Athletics prediction, pick, how to watch

The Chicago Cubs take on the Oakland Athletics. Our MLB odds series has our Cubs Athletics prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Cubs Athletics.

The Chicago Cubs are getting great pitching. We saw this last year, and it was a reason Chicago had a real chance to contend for a National League wild card spot in 2023. That pitching has largely carried over from 2022, and the proof of that came across very strongly this past weekend.

The Cubs shut down Los Angeles Dodger hitters in three different games. The Cubs did not allow more than two runs to the Dodgers in any of the three games they played in Dodger Stadium. Chicago won two out of three games in the series. Drew Smyly outdueled Julio Urias on Sunday in a 3-2 victory. The Cubs’ starters allowed a total of just three runs over the whole weekend, proving that what they are doing can be replicated and sustained. It’s a great sign for a team which does need more offensive consistency but has already been able to beat good teams with good pitchers.

The Oakland Athletics are a walking, breathing disaster. The team is 3-13. The ownership group clearly doesn’t want to spend one more penny than it feels it has to. The attendance at the Oakland Coliseum is poor, but the A’s have raised prices and therefore — with their tiny payroll and their television money — are still making a profit. It seems more likely than not that the A’s will be out of Oakland in three years. Las Vegas and Portland have been mentioned as relocation options for the A’s, stripping the city of yet another team after the Raiders left for Vegas a few years ago.

Here are the Cubs-Athletics MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Cubs-Athletics Odds

Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+122)

Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-146)

Over: 8 (-110)

Under: 8 (-110)

How To Watch Cubs vs. Athletics

TV: Marquee Sports Network (Cubs) / NBC Sports California (A’s) / MLB Extra Innings

Stream: MLB.tv

Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/9:40 p.m. PT

*Watch Cubs-Athletics LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

The Cubs are getting complete pitching and enough timely hitting to win. Taking two of three from the Dodgers in Dodger Stadium is an outstanding result for a team which is building optimism about its prospects and its overall expectations for the young season. The ninth inning has been a concern for the Cubs — they did blow a one-run lead in the ninth on Saturday against the Dodgers — but against an Oakland team which is 3-13, the Cubs shouldn’t have to worry about being in a very close (one-run) game against the A’s heading into the ninth. They should be able to carve out a three- or four-run lead.

Oakland doesn’t hit that well, and even more than that, the A’s don’t pitch well. Oakland pitching got shredded last week by the Baltimore Orioles, and then got clobbered this past Friday by the New York Mets. The pitching was moderately better over the weekend, but the bullpen still blew a ninth-inning lead to New York on Sunday. The Cubs are a much better team and should be able to show it.

Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread

The A’s are a bad team, and no one would dispute or ignore this, but they have a real chance in this game. You will note that the prices are not in line with what you would normally see when a team is a huge underdog. The A’s are an underdog, but only a moderate one. A huge underdog is usually a team for which a +2.5 run line bet would be priced in the area of -120 odds, give or take a small degree (maybe -110, maybe -130). The A’s are not priced there.

Why, you ask? That’s a good question. The answer is that the Cubs are starting Hayden Wesneski, one of the weaker links in Chicago’s pitching rotation. Wesneski has had some ugly outings early in the season. If the A’s are going to score big and win, this is a game which makes sense for them, especially since the Cubs just played an emotional series against the Dodgers and might be ripe for a letdown.