In this article we will formulate a Chicago Cubs vs Houston Astros prediction for this MLB game on Tuesday, April 23rd at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Let’s take a look at the prediction for game one in this series.
Cubs Preview
The Chicago Cubs are 13-9 this season and they have split their last six games. Chicago is coming off of a series split at home against the Marlins, where they won two games and lost two games. Prior to that series, the Cubs won two out of three against the Diamondbacks and Mariners. The Chicago pitching staff has a 4.12 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and a .234 opponent batting average. The Cubs offense has scored 119 runs with a .247 batting average and a .327 on base percentage. Michael Busch is batting .309 with six home runs and 15 RBI’s for the Cubs. The projected starting pitcher for Chicago is Jordan Wicks, who is 0-2 with a 5.29 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP over 17.0 innings pitched this season.
Astros Preview
The Houston Astros are 7-16 this year and they have lost five of their last six games. Houston is coming off of a series loss on the road against Washington, where they lost two out of three games. Prior to that series, the Astros were swept by the Braves (outscored 17-7) and won two out of three against Texas. The Houston pitching staff has a 5.10 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP, and a .266 opponent batting average. The Astros offense has scored 96 runs with a .266 batting average and a .332 on base percentage. Jose Altuve is batting .351 with five home runs and seven RBI’s for the Astros. The projected starting pitcher for Houston is JP France, who is 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP over 20.1 innings pitched this year.
Chicago Cubs Team Facts
- The Cubs have won each of their last nine home games against AL West opponents following a loss.
- The Cubs have covered the run line in 10 of their last 11 games against AL West opponents following a home loss.
- The Cubs have led after 3 innings in each of their last three home night games.
- The Cubs have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last five night games at Wrigley Field against American League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last seven games between the Astros and Cubs.
Houston Astros Team Facts
- The Astros have won each of their last 11 Tuesday games against the Cubs.
- The Astros have failed to cover the run line each of their last five night games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Astros have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last four night games against opponents that held a winning record.
- The Astros have led after 7 innings in each of their last five road games against National League opponents that held a winning record.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Astros’ last three games at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs vs Houston Astros Prediction
Houston comes into this series nine games below the .500 mark so far this year and their pitching staff has been horrible. The Astros just lost two out of three against the Nationals and they allowed 11 runs in the last two games. Chicago did split a four game series with the lowly Marlins over the weekend, but they are 13-9 on the year and 7-3 at home. The Cubs pitching has just been ok, but their offense is top 10 for runs scored. Chicago is starting Jordan Wicks, who has allowed two earned runs in three of his four starts, but has yet to go five innings in any start. The Astros are going with JP France, who has allowed three earned runs or fewer in three of his four starts, but did allow eight earned runs against Texas two starts ago. Outside of that one really bad start, France has been decent, but I can’t trust this Houston team right now. Take the Cubs.