Every team in pro-baseball comes into the season with certain expectations placed upon them before a single game is played. We all have an idea of who the MLB Betting favorites will be and which teams will be more than likely rooted in the cellar at the end of the year. While many of these expectations tend to hold true over the course of a 162-game season, there are always a few exceptions to the rule.
The Cleveland Indians were expected to be comfortable winners in the NL Central, and while they are off to a low start, they are only a couple of games off their projected win/loss record at this stage of the season, which is why they own the MLB Odds for this game. The Chicago Cubs are another team expected to be among the best in the league, but they are in a dogfight in the NL Central, 5 games of their expected win/loss record.
Both of these teams are likely to be in the postseason when all is said and done, so this makes for a very fun 2-game interleague series.
Cleveland at Chicago Game Preview & Expert MLB Betting Pick
- When: Tuesday, May 22 at 7 PM EST
- Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago
- Starting Pitchers: Trevor Bauer vs. Tyler Chatwood
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: Cleveland WTAN 1100 / Chicago 670 The Score
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Betting Odds: Chicago Cubs -110 (Over/Under at 7.5)
Braves are Slight Underdogs at the MLB Odds Against Phillies
Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)
- Runs: Cleveland Indians 3.50 / Chicago Cubs 4.00
- Hits: Cleveland Indians 7.60 / Chicago Cubs 8.60
- Walks: Cleveland Indians 3.40 / Chicago Cubs 2.60
- Strike Outs: Cleveland Indians 8.90 / Chicago Cubs 9.80
Why bet on the Cleveland Indians?
The Cleveland Indians are in the odd position of being a division leader despite being a game below .500 after playing 45 games. There is no real reason for panic right now, though, as this was a team that struggled badly in the first half last year, only to put together a brilliant second half. Still, it is a little disappointing that a team this talented has not been able to open up a bigger lead in what is arguably the weakest division in all of baseball. It has been consistency or a lack thereof, that has been problematic for this team to this point in the season. They have been good enough at home, going 13-9, but have struggled badly on the road, going just 9-14 thus far. The Indians will hand the ball to Trevor Bauer (3-3, 2.59 ERA) for this Monday night tilt.Team Statistics
Offense- Runs: 4.84
- Hits: 8.68
- Walks: 3.25
- Strike Outs: 8.57
- Runs: 4.39
- Hits: 8.23
- Walks: 2.55
- Strike Outs: 8.77
Why bet on the Chicago Cubs?
The rise of the Milwaukee Brewers has made the NL Central a much better division to watch, as there are now basically 4 teams with a shot at winning the division this year. The Chicago Cubs are right in that mix, sitting 2 games back of the division-leading Brewers. It was a slow start to the season for the Cubs, but their current stats suggest that this is a team very much on the rise. With 237 runs scored, they are 4th in the league in scoring, while their team ERA of 3.28 is second best overall. With that type of balance, you are going to win a whole lot more games than you lose. They are also beginning to make home field a real advantage, taking their record at Wrigley Field to 13-8 on the season. It will be Tyler Chatwood (3-3, 3.14 ERA) who will start for the Cubs.Team Statistics
Offense- Runs: 5.39
- Hits: 9.20
- Walks: 3.91
- Strike Outs: 8.36
- Runs: 3.75
- Hits: 7.25
- Walks: 4.39
- Strike Outs: 8.91
Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Bauer is 2-2 when starting against Chicago with an ERA of 2.53 and a WHIP of 1.312
- Chatwood is 1-1 when starting against Cleveland with an ERA of 2.84 and a WHIP of 1.263
- Indians are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games
- Indians are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 16 of Cleveland’s last 23 games
- Cubs are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games when playing Cleveland
- Cubs are 11-4 SU in their last 15 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs’s last 5 games at home
