Chicago Cubs vs Texas Rangers Betting Odds, AI Picks and Analysis

The recently crowned world champions, the Texas Rangers, will open their title defense against the Chicago Cubs in the Opening Day of the 2024 MLB Season. This Cubs vs Rangers matchup is the first of a three-game series in late March. Let’s see the Cubs vs Rangers Odds.

Despite finishing with a winning record, the Cubs missed out on the playoffs last season. They went 83-79, which was good for 7th place in the National League and 2nd in the NL Central. In the division, the Cubs went 30-22.

Chicago’s overall series record last season was 26-19-6. At home, they were 16-9-1 in series play, compared to 10-10-5 on the road. The Cubs’ overall record at home was 45-36, while they went 38-43 on the road.

On the road last season, the Cubs had a run line record of 41-40, compared to their home record of 42-39. Their average run margin in road games was +0.3 runs per game, compared to +0.9 runs per game at home. Overall, their average run differential was +0.6 runs per game. In games they won, their average scoring margin was +4.3 runs per game, compared to -3.3 runs per game in losses. For the season, they were favored in 49.4% of their road games, going 17-23 vs. the run line in those contests.

Chicago’s over/under record last season was 79-77, and their games averaged a combined 8.7 runs per contest. In games with an O/U line of 8.5, the over/under record was 23-20. Overall, 54.3% of their games finished with more runs than 8.5, and in games with lower O/U lines, the percentage of games with fewer runs than 8.5 was 45.7%.

Rangers wants to get the back-to-back championship

Coming off a World Series victory last season, the Rangers are looking to defend their title. Texas finished with a record of 90-72, which was good for 3rd in the American League and 1st in the AL West, according to the MLB standings.

At home, the Rangers went 50-31 last season compared to 40-41 on the road. In night games, Texas had a record of 55-48 compared to 35-24 in day games. As the favorite, the Rangers went 65-45 last season and were 25-27 as the underdog.

At home last season, the Rangers had an average run margin of +1.2 runs per game. Overall, their run line record was 88-74, including 45-36 at home and 43-38 on the road. In games they won, their average run margin was +4.7 runs per game compared to -3.6 runs per game in losses. Texas was the favorite in 85.2% of their home games, going 37-32 vs. the run line.

Last season, the Rangers’ games had an average over/under line of 8.6 runs, and their O/U record was 84-71. Their games averaged a combined 9.9 runs per game, and in games with an O/U line of 8.5, the O/U record was 32-22. Overall, 55.6% of their games finished with more runs than 8.5 runs.

Game Information

NEW YORK YANKEES vs HOUSTON ASTROS

Location of the Game: Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas

Date and Time: Thursday, March 28th 7:35 ET

Reason: 2024 MLB Regular Season

How to watch: watchlivesports.co

AI Predictions and Sport Betting AI Picks

These are the MLB Computer Picks for this MLB Schedule game:

TEAM	PITCHER	2023 RECORD	AI PICKS		Sport Betting AI PICKS
CUBS	J. STEELE	83-79	5	9	RUN LINE TEX +1.5	MONEYLINE CHC -101	TOTAL OVER 8.5
RANGERS	N. EOVALDI	90-72	4

AI Picks: Chicago Cubs 5 – Texas Rangers 4
Sport Betting AI Picks: Run Line Rangers +1.5 -208 | ML Cubs -101 | OVER 8.5 RUNS

Cubs vs Rangers Odds

Next, we have the MLB odds for this MLB Matchup.

Chicago Cubs Game Analysis

On the mound for the Cubs is left-hander Justin Steele, who is coming off a season in which he made 30 starts and went 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 on-base percentage allowed was .286. For the season, he made 20 quality starts and gave up a total of 14 home runs. Steele finished the year with a strikeouts-per-nine rate of 9.14 and a walks-per-nine rate of 1.87.

Chicago’s offense was one of the best in the league last season, ranking 6th in runs per game at 5.1. They were also 6th in RBIs and had the 9th best batting average at .254. On the road, the Cubs averaged 4.8 runs per game compared to 5.3 at home. At home, they were 3rd in the league in runs per game and had a home batting average of .253, based on the MLB team stats.

The Cubs will be looking for a big season from Christopher Morel who hit 26 home runs and drove in 70 runs last season. Cody Bellinger also hit 26 home runs and drove in 97 runs. Nico Hoerner had the most hits on the team last season, batting .283 and driving in 68 runs. Garrett Cooper is a new addition to the team after hitting .251 and driving in 61 runs for the Padres last season.

Texas Rangers Game Analysis

Coming off a season in which he made 25 starts, Nathan Eovaldi will be taking the mound for the Rangers in their home opener against the Cubs. Eovaldi finished the year with a record of 12-5 and an ERA of 3.62. He had two complete games and one shutout while making 11 quality starts. On the season, Eovaldi allowed a total of 15 home runs and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.8, according to the MLB player stats.

Last season, the Texas Rangers were one of the most potent offenses in the league, averaging 5.4 runs per game (3rd). They were especially dangerous at home, leading the league in runs per game at home (6.0). Overall, they were the 3rd best team in terms of on-base percentage (.337) and had the 3rd fewest strikeouts. On the road, they were 9th in runs per game (4.9) and had a road WOBA of .343 (9th).

The Rangers are hoping that Adolis García can continue to be their top home run hitter. Last season, García hit 39 home runs and drove in 107 runs. Corey Seager is also back after hitting 33 home runs and batting .327. Marcus Semien led the team in hits last season with 29 and batted .276. The team’s top off-season addition is Andrew Knizner, who hit 10 home runs last season.

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