At 7:35 PM on MARQ, the Chicago Cubs will take on the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX. The Cubs are currently sitting at -101 on the money line, while the Rangers are at -119. The over/under line is currently set at 8.5 runs, with the over paying out at -105 and the under at -117.

Justin Steele will be on the mound for the Cubs, while Nathan Eovaldi will get the start for the Rangers in this interleague matchup.

CHICAGO CUBS VS TEXAS RANGERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline -101

This game will be played at Globe Life Field at 7:35 ET on Thursday, March 28th.

HOW TO BET THE CUBS VS RANGERS:

  • We have the Cubs winning by a score of 5 to 4
  • However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Rangers to cover
  • As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

Cubs Records & Stats

The Cubs missed out on the playoffs last season despite finishing with a record of 83-79. In the National League, they were in 7th place and 2nd in the NL Central. Their overall series record was 26-19-6.

When playing at home, the Cubs went 45-36 compared to 38-43 on the road. In night games, their record was 46-44, and they were 53-40 as the favorite.

As the road underdog, the Cubs went 16-25 last season. In the NL Central, their division record was 30-22.

Chicago’s overall series record was 26-19-6, and they went 16-9-1 in their home series compared to 10-10-5 on the road.

Today’s game is a night game, and the Cubs’ overall record in night games last season was 46-44.

As the road favorite, the Cubs went 22-18 last season compared to 16-25 as the road underdog.

Chicago’s overall record last season was 83-79, and they were 53-40 as the favorite and 30-39 as the underdog.

On the road last season, the Cubs had a run line record of 41-40, averaging a run margin of +0.3 runs per game. Overall, they were the favorite in 57.4% of their games, going 42-51 vs. the run line. In games they covered the run line, their average scoring margin was +4.1 runs per game compared to -3.1 runs per game in games they did not cover the run line.

When looking at last year’s over/under record, the Cubs finished with a record of 79-77. Their games had an average over/under line of 8.7 runs per game, and in their games with an O/U line of 8.5, the over/under record was 23-20. On the season, 54.3% of their games finished with more runs than 8.5, and their games averaged a combined 9.5 runs per game. Today’s over/under line is set at 8.5 runs.

Left-hander Justin Steele is coming off a season in which he made 30 starts and finished with a record of 16-5. His ERA for the year was 3.06, and he finished with a WHIP of 1.17. Steele’s batting average allowed was .245, and his slugging percentage allowed was .362. He finished the year with 20 quality starts and gave up a total of 14 home runs. For the season, Steele averaged 9.14 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.87 walks per nine innings.

Chicago’s offense was one of the best in the league last season, averaging 5.1 runs per game (6th). They were especially strong at home, where they averaged 5.3 runs per game (3rd). For the season, they hit .254 (9th) and were 14th in home runs with 196. On the road, they hit .243 (11th) and averaged 4.8 runs per game (10th).

The Cubs’ top returning home run hitter from last season was Christopher Morel, who hit 26 homers and drove in 70 runs. Cody Bellinger also hit 26 homers last season and batted .307. Nico Hoerner led the team in hits last season and batted .283. The Cubs’ top off-season addition was Garrett Cooper, who hit 17 home runs and batted .251 last season.

Rangers Records & Stats

After winning the World Series last season, the Rangers are back in action as the underdogs against the Cubs. Last year’s team finished with a record of 90-72, which was good for 3rd in the American League and 1st in the AL West.

At home, the Rangers went 50-31 last season compared to 40-41 on the road. In night games, Texas was 55-48 last season, and they were 25-27 as the underdogs.

Last season, the Texas Rangers had an average run margin of +1.0 runs per game, finishing with a run line record of 88-74. In games that they covered the run line, their average scoring margin was +4.6 runs per game compared to -3.2 runs per game in games they did not cover. Overall, they were the underdog in 32.1% of their games, going 34-18 vs. the run line in those contests.

Last season, the Rangers had an over/under record of 84-71, and their games averaged a combined 9.9 runs per game. When their over/under line was 8.5 runs, the over/under record was 32-22. Overall, 55.6% of their games finished with more runs than 8.5 runs.

Coming off a season in which he made 25 starts, Nathan Eovaldi will take the mound for the Rangers in their home opener against the Cubs. Last season, Eovaldi went 12-5 with an ERA of 3.62 and a WHIP of 1.14. In terms of quality starts, the right-hander had 11, while his complete game and shutout totals were two and one, respectively. For the season, Eovaldi allowed 15 home runs and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.8. His strikeouts per nine innings were 8.25, while his walks per nine innings were 2.94.

The Texas Rangers were one of the most potent offenses in the league last season, ranking 3rd in runs per game at 5.4. Their home run total of 233 was also 3rd in the league. They were one of the best teams at getting on base, finishing 3rd in walks and 3rd in on-base percentage. When looking at their home/road splits, the Rangers were the top-scoring team at home, averaging 6.0 runs per game compared to 4.9 on the road.

The Texas Rangers will be looking for Adolis García to continue his power surge after he hit 39 home runs and drove in 107 runs last season. Corey Seager had a .623 slugging percentage and hit 33 home runs last season. Marcus Semien led the team in hits last season with 100 and batted .276. Andrew Knizner is a new addition to the team after hitting .241 and hitting 10 home runs for the Cardinals last season.