Rangers vs Cubs Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for April 8 (Pitchers Frustrate Batters in Low-Scoring Showdown)

Rangers vs Cubs Game Info

• Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023
• Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• Venue: Wrigley Field -- Chicago, Illinois
• Coverage: FS1

The Chicago Cubs (3-3) look to go up 2-0 in their three-game series with the Texas Rangers (4-3) when the two clubs collide at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 8.

The two teams kicked off their series on Friday, resulting in a 2-0 victory for the Cubs. Marcus Stroman pitched six innings for the home team, striking out six batters while only allowing a pair of hits. Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger each record an RBI apiece for Chicago.

Can the Cubs secure a series victory with another win? Or will the Rangers succeed in disappointing the Chicago faithful?

Rangers vs Cubs Odds & Spread

• All MLB betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: TEX: (+102) | CHC: (-120)
• Spread: TEX: +1.5 (-220) | CHC: -1.5 (+180)
• Total: 7.5 -- Over: (+102) | Under: (-124)

The Cubs enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 4:05 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 7.5 runs with the under being favored at -124 odds.

Rangers vs Cubs Betting Trends

• Texas is 0-6 straight up in its last six road games.
• The Cubs are 8-4 straight up in their last 12 games against Texas.
• The total has hit the under in nine of Texas' last 13 games against the Cubs.
• The total has hit the under in 14 of the Cubs' last 17 home games.

Rangers vs Cubs Prediction & Pick

The Rangers hope that a strong performance from starting pitcher Martin Perez can lead to victory. The 2022 MLB All-Star looked solid in his season debut against the Philadelphia Phillies last week, giving up just one run on eight hits while striking out seven batters over 5 2/3 innings en route to victory.

On the other side, the Cubs are countering with Justin Steele. Like Perez, Steele also pitched well in his lone 2023 appearance. The 27-year-old may not have gotten the win against the Milwaukee Brewers, but he still tallied eight strikeouts without giving up a run on three hits in six innings of work.

In a battle between two talented pitchers, it's going to come down to which team can produce runs. While the Cubs have averaged 6.3 runs over their previous four games, the Rangers are only averaging 1.8 over their last quartet. Considering how Texas could only muster up three total hits last night, Chicago is in a good place to win.

In another low-scoring tilt, back the Cubs to win.

Final Score Prediction: Cubs: 3 | Rangers: 1

Rangers vs Cubs Best Bet

A 7.5-run total is too high for my liking this afternoon. The Rangers have gone four straight games without surpassing that number while the Cubs have seen fewer than 7.5 runs score in three of their four home games thus far. Furthermore, the under is 6-1 in the last seven Texas-Chicago matchups at Wrigley Field, finishing with fewer than 7.5 runs in each of the last four.

With Perez and Steele pitching well to begin the new campaign, I don't see a lot of offense occurring tonight.

Bet: Under 7.5 Runs (-124)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.