The second of a three-game National League series will be played between the Chicago Cubs and the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves Wednesday night. The Braves took the opener Tuesday by a 3-1 decision. The Cubbies are 7-10 to this point and Atlanta is 8-10.
Right-hander Charlie Morton will stroll to the hill to start for the hosts, seeking an outing more like his first than the last two. He’s pitched 15.2 frames, allowing 17 knocks and 11 earned runs. The Braves have by at least four runs his last couple of times out.
His counterpart, the Cubs’ Mark Leiter Jr., hasn’t been much better. Chicago has come out on the wrong side of both of his two starts so far. His ERA sits at 11.05 and his WHIP at 1.91.
Cubs at Braves Stats
Chicago Cubs Stats
The Cubs just haven’t gotten it together yet. Losers of six of seven, they recently dropped three of four to Pittsburgh, who doesn’t figure to be much of a factor in the NL Central.
If only Chicago could play more like it did last Saturday — a 21-0 beatdown of the Pirates — they’d be in business. That dominant showing is a large part of the reason why some of the players’ outputs don’t match the amount of notches in the win column.
In right fielder Seiya Suzuki (13 RBIs), third baseman Patrick Wisdom (11), and center fielder Ian Happ (10), the Cubs have a trio of bats with double-digit runs pushed across.
Suzuki, an off-season acquisition from Japan, has recorded eight extra-base hits, including four long balls.
Leiter Jr. will be making his 14th career start. He’s 3-8 in those contests and didn’t last more than four innings against either Pittsburgh or Colorado this year.
Atlanta Braves Stats
Atlanta wants to find steadier footing, having posted a 3-5 mark in the last nine days.
Second baseman Ozzie Albies has done his fair share at the plate, belting six homers, which is good enough for second-most in the league. He paces the Braves in RBIs with 11.
In 66 plate appearances, first baseman Matt Olson boasts a .333 batting average. Being the guy that took over for a fan favorite and former league MVP, Olson has done a good job of making fans forget in his first season in Georgia. Backstop Travis d’Arnaud is in the same neighborhood, hitting .313.
Behind that trio, however, no other batter has better than a .277 average.
A seasoned veteran, Morton will likely find his touch on the rubber. He won 14 games a season ago, his fourth time in five years being as victorious.
Cubs at Braves Betting Trends
Taking a peek at the main sportsbook MLB betting odds, the Braves are favored to come out of this one with a win at their own ballpark. Atlanta is -1.5 on the run line at -102, while the Cubs are -118 to cover the spread. On the money line, the Braves are -205, while Chicago is a +172 underdog. The total is marked down at 8.5 runs, with the over being -114 and the under -106.
The Braves took the first of the teams’ season series and, odds are, the second won’t be much different. MLB expert picks like the lopsided pitching matchup in specific.
Matchup Information
Conclusion
Although neither club has been hot as of late, Atlanta has an edge in this one, mainly because of who they have starting on the mound.
Morton has much more experience and success in the majors than Chicago’s Leiter does. In the back half of his career, the Braves starter has been able to string together some crucial wins.
Though this one isn’t particularly a must-win with it being so early in the campaign, another victory here could set Atlanta up for a better go of it on their quest to repeat.
Not to mention, the Braves’ lineup should enjoy the matchup with Leiter, who hasn’t shown that he can be a quality starter at the big league level. Take advantage of this clash by betting on baseball.
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