MLB Betting Odds – Cubs Favored in the MLB Sportsbook to Get Back on Track Tonight

The Chicago Cubs have lost 10 out of their last 14 games but are still favored in the baseball sportsbook to beat the Oakland Athletics tonight. Interleague play hasn’t been kind to the Cubbies (no type of playing has!) as they’ve gone 1 and 4 in their last 3 interleague games.

Chicago is hoping that sending Ryan Dempster to the mound on Wednesday night will help turn things around. Dempster is 4 and 5 with a 3.74 ERA but his WHIP is absolutely terrific. At 1.16, Dempster’s WHIP is a sign that he is doing his job and that his ERA and record are do to a lack of focus on the part of his teammates, not his pitching. A pitcher is only as a good as the team behind him. The Cubs, who committed 3 errors in Dempster’s last start, haven’t always helped out their pitchers this season.

Will Dempster get the backing he needs? Or, will the Cubbies, once again, blow it against what should be an inferior opponent?

Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago Cubs

Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

When: June 6th, 2010 at 8:05 pm EST

TV: Oakland – CSNCA

Chicago Cubs – WGN

Radio: Oakland – KTRB 860, KDIA 1640

Chicago Cubs – WGN 720, WRTO 1200

MLB Betting Odds

Oakland Athletics
Gio Gonzalez – L +105

Chicago Cubs
Ryan Dempster – R -125

The trends favor neither team in this game.

The Oakland Athletics are 1 and 4 in their last 5 interleague games on the road.

The Oakland Athletics are 0 and 6 in their last 6 games following a win.

The Chicago Cubs are 1 and 4 in their last 5 games on grass.

The Chicago Cubs are 2 and 9 in their last 11 games versus a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.

One trend I didn’t write above is that the Oakland Athletics are 5 and 1 in their last 6 games versus a team with a losing record when Gonzalez is on the mound. That is a positive trend for the A’s in this game, but I’m not exactly sure it means anything.

The bottom line is that although Gio’s overall ERA of 3.79 and record of 6 and 4 isn’t bad, his WHIP of 1.30 is much worse than Dempster’s 1.16. If the Cubs take care of business on the defensive side of things, that is they don’t commit errors, then Dempster shouldn’t have a problem dominating an Oakland team that only scores 4.09 runs per game.

Oakland doesn’t have a lot of power. They have a nice batting average as a team, .263, but they’ve only hit 44 home runs on the season. That’s not a lot of dingers. This is the type of team that Dempster should excel at pitching against.

Dempster will do his part in this game. The rest of the Cubs will have to do theirs as well.

I believe that Chicago gives Dempster the support that he’s been lacking in his recent starts. Chicago should win this game as the baseball betting favorite in the sportsbook.

MLB Sportsbook Pick: Chicago Cubs -125