The Chicago Cubs (2-4) and the Athletics (2-2) open a 3-game series at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento. First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s MLB odds around the Cubs vs. Athletics odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
2024 season series: A’s won 2-1
This is the A’s home opener in their temporary ballpark for the next 3 seasons. The venue, home to San Francisco’s Triple-A affiliate the Sacramento River Cats, has been renovated to make it as close to a Major League experience as possible … but in the end, it’s still a minor league park.
We’ll soon find out how this ballpark plays — and affects Over/Under totals.
The Athletics split a 4-game set in Seattle to open the season. After losing Thursday’s opener 4-2, they bounced back with a 7-0 win Friday and a 4-2 win Saturday. However, the A’s came up short Sunday in a 2-1 loss. 1B Tyler Soderstrom socked his third homer of the season Sunday. The Under went 3-0-1 in the 4 games at Seattle.
After losing a pair of games in the Tokyo Dome against the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the season in mid-March, the Cubs sort of bounced back by splitting a 4-game series at the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday through Sunday.
The Cubs won 10-6 Thursday, lost 8-1 Friday and won 4-3 Saturday. In the finale, they were knocked around for a 10-6 defeat Sunday. DH Seiya Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a 2-run homer, his first HR of 2025, while RF Kyle Tucker added a 3-run HR, his second HR of the season.
Cubs at Athletics projected starters
RHP Ben Brown vs. RHP Joey Estes
Brown (0-1, 6.75 ERA) makes his first start of the season after a relief appearance in the Tokyo series. In a 4-1 loss in the season opener, he pitched 2 2/3 innings against the Dodgers, allowing 2 earned runs (3 runs total) on 4 hits and 3 walks with 5 K’s.
- 2024 road splits: 1-2, 3.86 ERA (37 1/3 IP, 16 ER), 4 HR, 1.13 WHIP, 9.9 K/9 in 6 starts and 3 relief appearances
- Never faced A’s before
Estes (7-9, 5.01 ERA in 2024) made 24 starts and 1 relief appearance last season. He had a 1.23 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9 and 6.5 K/9 in 127 2/3 innings.
- 2024 home splits: 4-3, 3.26 ERA (66 1/3 IP, 24 ER), 11 HR, 0.92 WHIP, 6.0 K/9 in 11 starts
- Career vs. Cubs: 1 start, loss, 1 IP, 6 ER, 9 H (1 HR), 0 BB, 1 K in 9-2 road defeat Sept. 16, 2024
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Cubs at Athletics odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of MLB odds. Lines last updated at 4:19 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cubs -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Athletics +105 (bet $100 to win $105)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cubs -1.5 (+130) | Athletics +1.5 (-155)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Cubs at Athletics picks and predictions
Prediction
Athletics 4, Cubs 3
Moneyline
The ATHLETICS (+105) are worth a look in this historic first game in Sacramento. The young A’s acquitted themselves well in Seattle, splitting the 4-game set. Soderstrom has been on fire at the plate, and the pitching has been decent early on.
The Cubs (-125) can’t be trusted with Brown on the bump. He was tagged for 2 earned runs in just 2 2/3 IP in a relief appearance March 18 against the Dodgers in Tokyo. While the sample size isn’t large, and it is just one appearance, it’s hard to trust a pitcher off to such a shaky start.
Run line/Against the spread
If a bit more on the conservative side, ATHLETICS +1.5 (-155) is not priced out of line if you’d like a little bit of insurance.
The Cubs have allowed 6 or more runs in 4 of the past 5 games, so they cannot be trusted until they get their pitching in order.
Over/Under
UNDER 8.5 (-105) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at best.
While, yes, Chicago has allowed 6 or more runs in 4 of the past 5 outings, the A’s have allowed a total of just 4 runs in the past 3 games. As mentioned, the Under is 3-0-1 in their 4 outings.
While this game is being played in a Triple-A park, and there are a lot of unknowns of how that will play in terms of totals, we’ll side with the Under based on the performance of the A’s so far.
Go lightly until we get some better information about how Sutter Health Park will play.
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