Oakland Athletics vs Chicago Cubs Betting Pick & Prediction 9/18/24

At 2:20 PM ET, the Athletics and Cubs square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Cubs are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -166 compared to the Athletics at +141. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs.

Brady Basso is starting for the Athletics, and he is facing off against Justin Steele. Oakland is 4th in the AL West, while the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central. MLBN will be televising this one.

CHICAGO CUBS VS OAKLAND ATHLETICS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline -166

This game will be played at Wrigley Field at 2:20 ET on Wednesday, September 18th.

HOW TO BET THE ATHLETICS VS CUBS:

• We have the Cubs winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Athletics to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this A’s vs Cubs series. Oakland went into the matchup as +132 underdogs and squeaked out a 4-3 win. The A’s had a two-run lead heading into the 9th inning, and the Cubs could only muster one run in the bottom half of the game.

Chicago wasted a good outing from Jordan Wicks, as he gave up just two earned runs in five innings of work. As for the A’s, Mitch Spence only went five innings but gave up just two hits and two earned runs.

Shea Langeliers was the difference for the A’s, as he homered twice, scored three times, and finished with three RBIs. Lawrence Butler and Tyler Nevin each had two hits and an RBI.

Athletics Records & Stats

The Athletics are on the road in today’s matchup vs. the Cubs, and they are 66-86 overall this season, putting them 4th in the AL West. Currently, they trail the Astros by 16.5 games in the division. So far, they are 21-25 in AL West matchups.

At home, the Athletics are 36-39 this season, compared to a 30-47 mark on the road. As the underdog, the Athletics are 54-79 this season, and they are 29-45 as the underdog on the road. Oakland has an overall series record of 18-25-5 this year.

When the Athletics win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.2 runs per game. When they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -3.6 runs per game. Their overall run line record is 83-69, and when they are the underdog, they are 76-57 vs. the run line.

Despite the fact that the Oakland Athletics have played in just six games with over/under lines set at 7.5 runs this season, they have gone over the total in 14 of the 34 games in which they’ve played on the road. The A’s have played in 112 games with over/under lines set at 7.5 runs or higher, which accounts for 73.7% of their games this season.

Brady Basso will be making his 3rd start of the season for the Athletics, and he has yet to give up an earned run. He went 6 innings in his first start, allowing just 3 hits, and then came back with a win over the White Sox, going 5 1/3 innings and striking out 2.

As a team, the Athletics are batting just .235 this season, which is 16th in the league and are averaging only 4 runs per game. However, they do have the 5th most home runs in the league and have the 8th best isolated power mark in the league. Brent Rooker has been a bright spot for the Athletics, as he is batting .302 for the season and has gone 9/25 with three homers in his last six games. His 109 RBIs are 3rd best in the MLB.

Shea Langeliers is 2nd on the Athletics in homers this season but is batting just .220 for the year and has only three hits in his last 20 at-bats. Langeliers and the rest of the Athletics lineup will be facing a Twins pitching staff that has given up the 2nd most home runs in the league this season.

Cubs Records & Stats

With a record of 77-74, the Cubs are 10 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. So far, they have gone just 21-28 in divisional games. The Cubs will take on the Athletics at home today, and they are 39-34 at home this year.

Chicago has gone 38-40 on the road this year. They are also just above .500 both as the favorite and as the underdog. The Cubs’ overall series record is 21-24-3, and they have dropped two straight series at home.

When betting the run line on the Cubs, it’s been more profitable to take them on the road, where they are 46-32. They are just 28-45 against the run line at home. They have a run differential of +0.4 runs per game, and their average run differential in wins is +3.8.

Today’s over/under line for the Chicago Cubs’ game against the Oakland Athletics is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than the Cubs’ combined run average of 8.8 runs per game this season. Chicago has played in 106 games with over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs, and their over/under record for the season is 71-75. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, the Cubs have gone over 17 times and under 16 times.

Through 22 starts, Justin Steele has a record of 5-5 and an ERA of 3.09. In his 22 appearances, he has turned in 11 quality starts and one complete game. Looking at his numbers, Steele has a WHIP of 1.09 and is averaging 9.21 strikeouts per nine innings. The last time he took the mound, Steele picked up the win, going five innings and giving up two earned runs on six hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts. So far, he has been better on the road, with an ERA of 3.3 compared to 3.39 at home.

The Cubs come into today’s game as one of the league’s top-scoring offenses, averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, putting up 5.1 runs per contest. Chicago’s offense has been led by Ian Happ and Michael Busch, who are both in the top five in home runs and have been swinging the bat well of late. Happ has gone 10/28 in his last six games, with two homers, while Busch has also gone deep three times in this stretch while batting .400.

For the season, Happ has a team-high 85 RBIs and is batting just .249, while Busch is hitting .256 with 64 RBIs. Seiya Suzuki is 2nd on the team with 20 homers and has a batting average of .278. He is also on an eight-game hitting streak. Nico Hoerner has gone deep five times this season and is batting .268.