Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Angels Preview
From Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have the Angels and Cubs facing off in an interleague matchup. The money line odds have the Cubs as the favorite, with their line sitting at -144 compared to the Angels at +123. Today’s over/under line is sitting at 8.5 runs.
First pitch for Saturday’s matchup is set for 2:20 PM ET, and the forecast from Chicago calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s. Tyler Anderson is starting for the Angels, and the Cubs will send Kyle Hendricks to the mound. Chicago is 41-48, while the Angels are 36-51. MARQ will be televising this one.
Check out BetCoco for Chicago Cubs – Los Angeles Angels odds
Chicago Cubs Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Angels are 0-5. This includes going 0-5 vs. the runline.
- On the opposing side, the Cubs have a 2-3 (SU) record, along with a 2-3 record in their last five home contests.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Cubs have a record of 4-6 straight-up, and have gone 4-6 against the runline.
- Looking at the Angels’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 5-5 straight-up and 6-4 vs. the runline.
It was all Chicago in the last game of this series, as the Cubs took down the Angels by a score of 5-1. The Cubs offense only had two more hits than the Angels and struck out six more times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -192 on the money line.
This game featured a starting pitching matchup between Justin Steele for the Cubs and Griffin Canning for the Angels. Steele went nine innings and gave up just one hit and one earned run. On the other side, Canning was tagged for four runs in 4 1/3 innings of work.
Chicago’s two homers came from Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. Suzuki, Happ, and Kris Bryant each had two RBIs for the Cubs’ offense.
Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Angels Prediction
With a record of 36-51, the Angels are 4th in the AL West, 11.5 games behind the Mariners for the division lead. The Angels have dropped five straight games, losing the series opener vs. the Cubs. So far, they are 8-10 in divisional games.
At home, the Angels are 18-26 this year, and they are 18-25 on the road. As the underdog, the Angels are 32-44 this year, and they are 4-7 when favored. Los Angeles’ overall series record is 8-18-2 this year, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games.
The Angels have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 48-39. They have been particularly good on the road, where they are 24-19 against the run line. However, they have failed to cover in five straight road games. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 45-31 against the run line, compared to just 3-8 as the favorite. Their average run differential on the season is -0.9 runs per game.
On the season, the Angels have played in 85 games with an average combined run total of 9.0 runs per game. Their over/under record is 44-41, and when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, they have gone over 19 times and under 18 times. The Angels have played in 22 games with over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs, which accounts for 25.3% of their games. Their current under streak is at 3 games.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson gets the start for the Angels today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 17 starts this season and has a record of 7-8 with a 3.03 ERA. Anderson’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.24. In his last outing, he took the loss, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up six hits, six earned runs, and one homer to the Tigers. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts. Opponents are batting .212 off Anderson this season, and he has issued 4.07 walks per nine innings compared to 5.8 strikeouts.
Los Angeles comes into the game with the 13th best batting average in the league at .236, but they are just 23rd in runs scored and have a collective on-base percentage of just .302. One of the reasons for their struggles on offense is that they are just 20th in walks and have the league’s 16th worst strikeout rate. The Angels’ team ISO of .148 is also just 16th in the league.
Luis Rengifo has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/24 in his last six games with two homers. For the season, he is batting .315 and has gone deep six times. Taylor Ward leads the team with 14 homers but is batting just .236. Jo Adell is also struggling with a batting average of just .184.
With a record of 41-48, the Cubs are 5th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 11 games. Chicago has gone just 10-19 against other teams in the NL Central. The Cubs have won two straight games, and they are 4-6 across their last 10 contests.
Chicago has dropped below .500 due to losing seven of their last eight games. At home, the Cubs are 24-20 this season and 17-28 on the road. So far, they have been an even 21-21 as the favorite and 20-27 as the underdog.
Chicago has been a solid run-line bet on the road this season, going 25-20 against the number. However, the Cubs have struggled at home, going 17-27 on the run line. They have been an underdog in 47 games this season, going 30-17 against the run line.
Chicago is a team that has seen a lot of high-scoring games this season, with their games having an average of 8.5 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 39-46, and their over/under record when the line has been set at 8.5 runs is 9-8. Overall, 28.1% of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s 8.5-run total, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs.
Kyle Hendricks gets the start for the Cubs today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Brewers. In that start, he gave up seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of work. Looking back over his last three starts, Hendricks has given up at least one homer in each outing. For the season, he has made 10 starts, has a record of 1-6, and his ERA is 7.48. Opposing batters are hitting .297 off Hendricks this season. So far, he has made one quality start and is averaging 6.75 strikeouts per nine innings.
Chicago’s offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game this season, which is 19th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting .230, and their team on-base percentage of .311 is 14th in the league. The Cubs have been good at working the count, as they are 4th in the league in walks.
Christopher Morel has been a disappointment this season, batting just .198, but he does lead the team with 15 home runs. Ian Happ has also been a big power threat for the Cubs, as his 13 homers is 2nd on the team and his 52 RBIs are the best mark on the team. Happ has also been hot of late, batting .417 over his last eight games, with four homers.
Our predicted score for this Angels vs. Cubs matchup is 5-4 in favor of the Angels. With the Angels being the underdog in this one, we like them to win straight up, and you can get them at +123.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Tyler Anderson finishing with more strikeouts than Kyle Hendricks. However, our projections have Hendricks going deeper into the game and finishing with four K’s.
Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Angels Betting Tips
- We like the Angels on the moneyline (+123)
- The Angels are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Chicago Cubs Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Yency Almonte | Out | Shoulder |
| Mike Tauchman | Out | Groin |
| Mark Leiter Jr. | Out | Forearm |
| Keegan Thompson | Out | Ribs |
| Adbert Alzolay | Out | Forearm |
| Julian Merryweather | Out | Ribs |
| Javier Assad | Out | Forearm |
| Ben Brown | Out | Neck |
| Caleb Kilian | Out | Teres Major |
| Jordan Wicks | Out | Oblique |
Los Angeles Angels Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| José Cisnero | Out | Shoulder |
| Mike Trout | Out | Knee |
| Anthony Rendon | Out | Hamstring |
| Robert Stephenson | Out | Elbow |
| Adam Cimber | Out | Shoulder |
| Luis Rengifo | Out | Wrist |
| Patrick Sandoval | Out | Arm |
| José Quijada | Out | Elbow |
| Andrew Wantz | Out | Elbow |
| Kelvin Caceres | Out | Lat |
