Cubs ML (+100) over Rangers
DraftKings Sportsbook
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- The Cubs have a Cy Young caliber pitcher on the mound for this game in Justin Steele.
- We last saw the Texas Rangers win the World Series, but they weren’t nearly as good in the regular sesaon and we will bank on some slight regression to start this season.
The Chicago Cubs take on the Texas Rangers on March 28, 2024 at 7:35 pm ET. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Cubs as slight underdogs with -102 odds, while the Rangers are favored with -118 odds in this MLB Opening Day contest. Early betting trends show no clear favorite, with both teams receiving equal on the moneyline. The total is set at 8.0, with an even split of bets on the over and under. Don't miss this exciting matchup between two competitive teams on the diamond.
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The defending champion Texas Rangers are returning to the field in tonight’s Cubs vs Rangers matchup from Arlington. Texas is missing some key starting pitching to start this year, including Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. But they will still have Nathan Eovaldi to start their season at home, as the Rangers will celebrate last year’s championship team at Globe Life.
Eovaldi was rock solid for the Rangers last season, going 12-5 with an ERA of 3.63. He will need to be even better than that early in the season for the Rangers, given how short-handed they are in their starting rotation. But Eovaldi might not be the best pitcher in tonight’s Cubs vs Rangers matchup. That honor might go to Cubs starter Justin Steele instead.
Steele went 16-5 last season and posted an ERA of 3.06, which ranked sixth in all of baseball in 2023. He was a candidate for the NL Cy Young award deep into last season, something he figures to be in the mix for again this year. But Steele will face a formidable Rangers lineup in this game that could get the better of him if the Cubs starter does not bring some of his best stuff to the mound.
The Rangers lineup is always dangerous, having finished in the top-five in batting average and home runs last season, but we will take the Cubs to win this contest on the road. We are expecting some early regression from the Rangers after their championship run last October. Look for that to impact them on opening night and for the Cubs to take advantage deep in the heart of Texas, starting what Chicago hopes will be an impressive 2024 campaign.
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MLB
Chicago Cubs
Texas Rangers
Team Records
| CHC | Team Records | TEX |
|---|---|---|
| 20-11 | Home | 20-13 |
| 21-16 | Road | 12-23 |
| 31-17 | vRHP | 26-26 |
| 10-10 | vLHP | 6-10 |
| 22-22 | vs>.500 | 16-20 |
| 19-5 | vs<.500 | 16-16 |
| 5-5 | Last10 | 4-6 |
| 13-7 | Last20 | 7-13 |
| 19-11 | Last30 | 14-16 |
Team Stats
| CHC | Team Stats | TEX |
|---|---|---|
| 4.22 | ERA | 3.98 |
| .243 | Batting Avg Against | .236 |
| 1.29 | WHIP | 1.21 |
| .289 | BABIP | .282 |
| 8.3% | BB% | 7.7% |
| 22.0% | K% | 22.5% |
| 71.1% | LOB% | 72.9% |
| .255 | Batting Avg | .273 |
| .419 | SLG | .464 |
| .751 | OPS | .807 |
| .332 | OBP | .342 |
Pitchers
| J. Steele | N. Eovaldi | |
|---|---|---|
| 126.0 | Innings | 123.2 |
| 22 | GS | 19 |
| 13-3 | W-L | 11-3 |
| 2.79 | ERA | 2.69 |
| 8.57 | K/9 | 8.08 |
| 2.00 | BB/9 | 2.47 |
| 0.71 | HR/9 | 0.58 |
| 74.3% | LOB% | 77.2% |
| 8.6% | HR/FB% | 7.6% |
| 3.21 | FIP | 3.24 |
| 3.68 | xFIP | 3.79 |
| .245 | AVG | .206 |
| 22.9% | K% | 23.2% |
| 5.4% | BB% | 7.1% |
| 3.86 | SIERA | 3.98 |
Recent Starts
| Date | Opp | W/L | IP | H | R | ER | SO | BB | ST-PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/30 MIL |
Lauer ML N/A |
L1-9 TOTAL N/A |
3 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
48-74 |
| 4/24 PIT |
Brubaker ML N/A |
L3-4 TOTAL N/A |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
43-79 |
| 4/19 TB |
Wisler ML N/A |
L5-6 TOTAL N/A |
2.2 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
25-48 |
| 4/14 COL |
Freeland ML N/A |
W5-2 TOTAL N/A |
4.1 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
47-80 |
| 4/9 MIL |
Woodruff ML N/A |
W9-0 TOTAL N/A |
5 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
46-77 |
| Date | Opp | W/L | IP | H | R | ER | SO | BB | ST-PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/30 BAL |
Watkins ML N/A |
L1-2 TOTAL N/A |
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
67-95 |
| 4/25 TOR |
Berrios ML N/A |
L2-6 TOTAL N/A |
7 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
56-72 |
| 4/19 TOR |
Kikuchi ML N/A |
W2-1 TOTAL N/A |
4.2 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
61-95 |
| 4/13 DET |
Rodriguez ML N/A |
W9-7 TOTAL N/A |
5 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
72-101 |
| 4/8 NYY |
Cole ML N/A |
L5-6 TOTAL N/A |
5 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
7 |
1 |
56-76 |
Betting Trends
| CHC | Betting Trends | TEX |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 1-2-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 3-0-0 |
| 1-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 3-0-0 |
| 4.33 | Avg Score | 6.33 |
| 4.67 | Avg Opp Score | 2.67 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 1-2-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 1-2-0 |
| 1-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 1-2-0 |
| 4.33 | Avg Score | 3.67 |
| 4.67 | Avg Opp Score | 6.33 |
| CHC | Betting Trends | TEX |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 1-4-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 4-1-0 |
| 2-3-0 | ATS W/L/P | 3-2-0 |
| 4.2 | Avg Score | 5.2 |
| 5 | Avg Opp Score | 4.4 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 1-4-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 1-4-0 |
| 2-3-0 | ATS W/L/P | 1-4-0 |
| 4.2 | Avg Score | 3.8 |
| 5 | Avg Opp Score | 7.4 |
| CHC | Betting Trends | TEX |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 4-6-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 6-4-0 |
| 5-5-0 | ATS W/L/P | 6-4-0 |
| 4.9 | Avg Score | 5.8 |
| 4.6 | Avg Opp Score | 5.1 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 1-9-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 6-4-0 |
| 3-7-0 | ATS W/L/P | 5-5-0 |
| 4.2 | Avg Score | 6 |
| 5.8 | Avg Opp Score | 5.6 |
