Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/04/2023

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Friday, August 4, 2023

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -205, Cubs +170; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -205, Cubs +170; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -205, Cubs +170; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Atlanta Braves:  69-37 (1st place, NL East)

Chicago Cubs:  55-53 (3rd place, NL Central)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Jack Banks is having a GREAT MLB SEASON going 91-60 for +$21,130! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Atlanta Braves:  6-4 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  8-2 last 10

The Braves are entering this series on a 2 game winning streak and won their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 69-37 record overall and have a road record of 32-17. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .837 OPS. Yonny Chirinos was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Max Fried is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 ER, 2 HR, and 2 BB with 7 Ks on 8 hits through 6 IP against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Cubs entered their last series off a loss but won their 4-game series against the St Louis Cardinals 3-1. They enter this game with a 55-53 record overall and have a home record of 29-27. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Cincinnati Reds still to be played on Thursday. They also lost the series opener of that series on Monday but won the 2nd game and the 3rd game on Tuesday and Wednesday. Their offense ranks 8th in the MLB with a .758 OPS. Jameson Taillon is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Kyle Hendricks is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-5 with a 3.49 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 BB with 2 strikeouts on 8 hits through 7 innings played against the St Louis Cardinals.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a big underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves have the best record in the entire MLB and also have the best offense but they haven't been at their best since coming out of the All-Star break. The Cubs also have a really good offense and have been putting up a ton of runs in their games lately as they have been a really hot team over the last week. The Braves are going to have Fried on the mound here and he has been good in his starts this season but he didn't pitch well in his last one as he gave up 5 runs and he hasn't made many starts this year either since he has been plagued by injuries. The Cubs are going with Hendricks in this game and he hasn't been pitching well lately but he was really good to start the season and has been giving up less runs in his last few starts too. He is going to be looking to continue pitching better in his starts like he has been doing and even though the Braves do have a really good offense to put up some runs with, the Cubs have been putting up a lot more runs in their games lately and they will be able to match whatever the Braves do at home here. For the way these two teams have been playing on offense and with these two starters on the mound, the value is with the Cubs here to overpower the Braves offensively and put up more runs. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game.

Braves Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 4, 2023 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Cubs 8 Braves 7.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Atlanta Braves: 69-37 (+11.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 13-2 (+10.6 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 11-4 OVER against NL Central opponents. 7-3 OVER after 6 or more consecutive home games.

Chicago Cubs: 24-33 (-10.2 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 8-14 (-8.9 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 32-20 OVER in home games. KYLE HENDRICKS is 22-9 OVER in home games. 

Atlanta Braves:  M. Fried (SP) Prob Fri - Forearm. D. Hernandez (SP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. E. Adrianza (2B) Mid Aug - Shoulder. D. Lee (SP) Mid Aug - Shoulder. N. Anderson (SP) Early Sept - Shoulder. J. Chavez (RP) Mid Aug - Shin. K. Wright (SP) Early Sept - Shoulder. S. Hilliard (LF) Out indefinitely - Heel. K. Allard (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. T. Matzek (RP) out for season - Elbow. H. Ynoa (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  M. Stroman (SP) Mid Aug - Hip. N. Burdi (RP) Mid Aug - Appendix. B. Boxberger (RP) Mid Aug - Forearm. B. Hughes (RP) out for season - Knee. C. Heuer (RP) out for season - Elbow. E. Roberts (RP) out for season - Elbow.

“It's crazy. What these guys are doing is something else.” - Brian Snitker after his team’s win against the Angels in their game on Wednesday.

“It’s hard to get everybody out. Nobody’s chasing, nobody’s going outside of what they’re trying to do. … Then you get to the underbelly of the bullpen and you just get to your rhythm and your zones, where you’re trying to do damage.” - David Ross after his team’s win against the Reds in their game on Wednesday.

Luis Rengifo (S) 2B

Shohei Ohtani (L) DH

C.J. Cron (R) 1B

Randal Grichuk (R) LF

Hunter Renfroe (R) RF

Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B

Zach Neto (R) SS

Chad Wallach (R) C

Jordyn Adams (R) CF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Christopher Morel (R) DH

Cody Bellinger (L) CF

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Ian Happ (S) LF

Yan Gomes (R) C

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Jeimer Candelario (S) 3B

Patrick Wisdom (R) 1B

Batting Average:  Charlie Culberson (1.000)

Hits:  Ronald Acuna (141)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (37)

RBI:  Matt Olson (91)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna (51)

Wins:  Spencer Strider (11)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (20)

ERA:  Dereck Rodriguez (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jeimer Candelario (.889)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (118)

Home Runs:  Patrick Wisdom (19)

RBI:  Nico Hoerner (58)

Stolen Bases:  Nico Hoerner (26)

Wins:  Justin Steele (12)

Saves:  Adbert Alzolay (12)

ERA:  Jose Cuas (0.00)

Managers:

Atlanta Braves: Brian Snitker (8th season)

Chicago Cubs: David Ross (4th season)