The Chicago Cubs (49-67) visit the Baltimore Orioles (61-56) Thursday, making up a postponed June 8 game. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Cubs vs. Orioles odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: Orioles lead 3-0
After taking 2 of 3 at the Toronto Blue Jays, the Orioles sit 1½ games back of the final AL wild-card spot. Despite Orioles RHP Austin Voth allowing just 2 hits in 6 scoreless innings, Baltimore lost 6-1 to Toronto Wednesday. Voth received no run support – the O’s didn’t score until the 8th – and the bullpen yielded 6 runs in the bottom of the 7th.
The Cubs also won their midweek road series, beating the Washington Nationals twice after dropping Monday’s opener. Cubs C Yan Gomes’ RBI single broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 7th in a 3-2 victory.
Thursday starts a rough stretch for the Cubs, who will play 18 consecutive games against teams – Milwaukee (6), St. Louis (8) and Toronto (3) – with winning records.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Cubs at Orioles projected starters
RHP Adrian Sampson vs. RHP Spenser Watkins
Sampson (0-3, 3.88 ERA) makes his 10th start and 12th appearance. He has a 1.28 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 7.1 K/9 in 53 1/3 IP.
- Allowing a .304 BA in interleague games this season
- Last 7 games (all starts): 0-3, 4.10 ERA (37 1/3 IP, 17 ER), 28 K, 4 HR
Watkins (4-2, 4.23 ERA) makes his 16th start and 17th appearance. He has a 1.37 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 5.7 K/9 in 72 1/3 IP.
- August splits: 5.02 ERA (14 1/3 IP, 8 ER) in 2 starts and 1 relief appearance
- Last outing: 3 IP of relief (no-decision), 3 ER, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K Saturday at Tampa Bay in 8-2 loss
- Last 7 starts: 4-1, 2.52 ERA (39 1/3 IP, 11 ER), 31 K, 2 HR
Cubs at Orioles odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:59 a.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Cubs +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Orioles -160 (bet $160 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cubs +1.5 (-160) | Orioles -1.5 (+130)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -122 | U: -102)
Exclusive USA TODAY Network offer: Deposit $10 or more, get $200 in instant bet credits at Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Place your legal, online sports bets at Tipico. Let’s make this interesting. Bet now!
Cubs at Orioles picks and predictions
Prediction
Orioles 4, Cubs 3
Money line
The Cubs, to put it bluntly, are not good against the American League. They have a 4-12 record, including 0-4 in their last 4 interleague games against teams with a winning record.
TAKE ORIOLES (-160).
Win your fantasy baseball league with BaseballHQ.com. For decades, BHQ has been helping players just like you win! Use the couple code SBW22 for 20% OFF full-season subscription. New customer offer; expires 8/31/2022. Subscribe today and start winning!
Run line/Against the spread
The Orioles have been dominant all season ATS, leading MLB with a 65% coverage rate (76-41). But they were the underdogs in most of those games, going 68-33 ATS.
As a favorite, Baltimore covers just 50% of the time, going 8-8 ATS. As home favorites, the Orioles are 6-8 ATS, covering 42.9% of their chances.
However, the -160 juice is too high to take on a below-average Cubs team.
It’s best to AVOID altogether.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 8.5 (-102) as both teams trend toward the Under in interleague play.
The Orioles sport the majors’ best Under record in that situation with a 10-4-3 Under mark vs. the NL (71.4%)
The Cubs play Under 53.3% (8-7-1) of the time against the AL. The Under is also 3-0-1 in Cubs’ previous 4 games against the AL East.
Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO and NJ. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @BetOnEthan on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional MLB coverage:
BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
BaseballPress.com: Your source for every MLB lineup
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fb7dafw2b08817yr player_id=none image=https://sportsbookwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]