Texas Rangers vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 4/8/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Texas Rangers vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: Texas (+105) Chicago (-125)

The Chicago Cubs (2-3) host the Texas Rangers (4-2) at Wrigley Field on Saturday. The moneyline on this matchup has Texas at +105 while Chicago is at -125. The total comes in at 8. The expected starting pitchers will be Martin Perez and Justin Steele.

The Rangers have accrued 7 doubles as a unit and have knocked 9 balls out of the park. Texas has a slugging percentage of .439 and have struck out 50 times, while taking a walk on 15 occasions. As a team, the Texas Rangers are notching 6.0 runs per contest, which has them sitting at 5th in MLB. They have accumulated 34 runs batted in and 52 hits on the season, while their batting average comes in at .265. They are sitting with 36 runs and have an on-base percentage of .319.

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The Rangers are sitting with a team earned run average of 3.50 so far this season (10th in the league), and their staff has rung up 61 batters. They have walked 18 opposing players and their FIP sits at 3.23 as a team for the season. They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 3.39 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.15. Rangers pitchers have surrendered 5 home runs in addition to 22 total runs (9th in baseball).

The Rangers have converted 69.7% of balls hit into play into outs in their 486 innings on the diamond, ranking them 14th in the majors. The Texas Rangers have notched a total of 162 putouts on the year, in addition to 44 assists and 2 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .990 which ranks 11th in the majors, and have 7 double plays.

Perez (76-77 career mark) has a FIP of 4.34 while facing 5,670 hitters in the major leagues. He has given up 1,417 base hits (9.8 hits per 9 innings) with 473 walks. His ERA is 4.42 (641 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.449. Perez has taken the ball for 1,304 frames and is sitting with 916 punch outs in his pro baseball career.

Chicago is sitting with 4 home runs so far this season and 26 RBIs. They have recorded 10 two-baggers, while walking 18 times as well as scoring 28 runs. The Chicago Cubs have tallied an on-base percentage of .343 in addition to a batting average of .273 for the season. The Cubs have a team slugging percentage of .398 and they score 5.60 runs per outing (8th in baseball). They have struck out on 38 occasions (29th in MLB) and are sitting with 48 base hits.

The Chicago pitching staff have given up 24 runs for the season and come in with a team ERA of 4.70 (23 earned runs conceded). They have allowed 4 long balls and they allow 4.91 runs per 9 innings (16th in baseball). The Cubs hold a team WHIP of 1.386 and have a FIP of 3.53 as a pitching staff so far this year. They currently have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.68 (51 strikeouts vs 19 bases on balls). They are sitting at 4th in baseball as a staff in total hits relinquished with 42.

In 396 innings on the diamond, the Cubs are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 64.8% (28th in MLB). The Chicago Cubs have gotten 5 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .984 (21st in baseball). The Cubs have racked up 49 assists, 3 errors and have notched a total of 132 putouts this year.

In his MLB career, Steele has surrendered 164 hits while earning 193 punch outs in 182 innings pitched. He has allowed 69 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.330 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.9. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.47 and he has gone up against 781 batters during his pro baseball career. Steele (8-11 career record) holds a 3.41 ERA while giving up 8.1 hits per nine innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Texas (+105)

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