MLB Predictions & Odds 4/8/23

Texas Rangers (4-2) vs. Chicago Cubs (2-3)
April 8, 2023 4:05 pm EDT
The Line: Chicago Cubs -132 / Texas Rangers +105; Over/Under: +8
(Get latest betting odds)

The Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs meet Saturday in MLB action from Wrigley Field. This will be the second installment in a three-game weekend series. In the Friday opener, the Cubs posted a shutout win. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Texas Rangers

The Rangers played the Orioles this week, losing 2-0 Monday and 7-2 Tuesday before a 5-2 win in the finale. On Friday versus the Cubs, Texas had just three hits in a 2-0 loss. Starter Nathan Eovaldi put up 5.2 innings with two earned on five hits and a walk. 

As starter for the Saturday game two, Texas will send out Martin Perez. In his lone start this year Perez put up 5.2 innings with one earned on eight hits and three walks. Perez has a 76-77 record in his career with a 4.42 ERA in 254 games (224 starts). 

Chicago Cubs 

Over on the Cubs’ side, they split a pair of games with the Reds this week, 7-6 (loss) and 12-5 (win). On Friday Chicago had six hits in the victory. Marcus Stroman managed 6.0 clean frames with two hits and three walks alongside six strikeouts.

Justin Steele will make the start for the Cubs on Saturday. In his first outing of the year Steele put up 6.0 clean frames with three hits and a walk alongside eight strikeouts. Steele is 8-11 with a 3.41 ERA in his career over 45 games (34 starts). 

The Rangers are 65-132 in their last 197 road games and 1-4 in their last five versus a lefty starter. Texas is 1-5 in their last six in game two of a series. 

Meanwhile, the Cubs are 5-1 in their last six in game two of a series and 14-6 in their last 20 overall. Chicago is 1-6 in their last seven Saturday games. 

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll try Chicago in this one. Steele put up a nice outing in his debut on April 1 versus the Brewers, but he took a no-decision thanks to just one run of offensive help (and three runs from the pen) 3-1 team defeat. Perez is coming off a solid start himself, so this should be an interesting matchup and potentially a low-scoring affair. On Friday, the Cubs were able to maximize their opportunities offensively and got a solid performance from the pitching staff. I like another low-scoring game here, and if the Cubs can plate a few runs they should be good to go.