The Baltimore Orioles won the rubber match of their AL East series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon. The 43-25 upstart Orioles now travel to Chicago where they’ll take on the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. Chicago is coming off a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three game set at Wrigley Field. They’ll have the benefit of rest as the Orioles come to town. Let’s take a look at the odds for Friday afternoon’s game to find the best Orioles-Cubs MLB bet.
We’ll use OddsShopper’s market-based model to make an MLB prediction and bet. The model tracks the betting market, using the sharpest sportsbook’s lines to find the right price. It then identifies which books are off, recommending where to bet and how much to wager. Readers can also access OddsShopper’s expert analysis tools like Parlay Builder!
Editor’s Note: Lines, odds and bets in this article are from the time of publication at 12:02 a.m. on 6/16/2023
Best Cubs-Orioles Betting MLB Pick & Prediction: Baltimore Travel Weary, Fatigued
Cubs-Orioles Odds
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Cubs: -102 | Orioles: -116
Over 7.5: -115 | Under 7.5: -105
The overnight MLB odds are just coming out and it has the Orioles as very slight favorite in tomorrow’s game. Two factors are impacting the early line. First, the Oriole’s travel schedule is probably affecting how this one is handicapped. The Orioles finished up a series in Baltimore on Thursday afternoon and immediately had to travel to Chicago. The game is set for the Cubs’ traditional time of 1:20 p.m. CT. In most circumstances the team’s would be playing a night game, affording the Orioles more rest.
However, the most important factor keeping the Cubs close in the MLB odds is the pitching matchup. Cole Irvin will take the bump for the Orioles. The veteran LHP has been solid this season, but he has never been anything to write home about. The biggest thing going in his factor tomorrow might be the conditions at Wrigley. As of this writing, the game’s total is 7.5 runs, indicating some expectation that the wind will be effecting scoring in Chicago.
Kyle Hendricks will face Irvin. Never flashy, Hendricks typically finds a way to get the job done. Hendricks has always been a finesse pitcher that defies the metrics and advanced statistics. Injuries and age have gotten to him, but Hendricks is coming off one of his best outings in a long time. He nearly no-hit the San Francisco Giants in his last start, going for eight shutout innings. He has a 3.09 ERA and 1.09 WHIP on the year.
OddsShopper’s market-based model is waiting for the sharp bookmakers to set the price for this game. As it stands, expect some value to emerge on the Cubs side in the early bidding. The moneyline of -102 could be a little low, as the market will do more to factor in the aforementioned pitching and travel variables. Weather will also play a role in the markets for this game. Keep an eye out for changes to the total as information on the environment in Wrigley becomes more clear. The safe bet is to pass, but if you bet overnight you can probably grab a percentage or two of edge on the Cubs moneyline.
Best Cubs-Orioles MLB Pick: Cubs Moneyline (-102) at FanDuel Sportsbook.
