The Los Angeles Angels are back over .500 after picking up a win on Sunday against the Houston Astros, and they're hoping to carry that momentum into their series with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.
Chicago is in fourth place in the NL Central, and the team is in danger of slipping further on Tuesday with Jameson Taillon (1-3, 7.05 ERA) on the mound. The right-hander has struggled in his first year of a four-year deal for Chicago.
The Angels will counter with Jaime Barria (2-2, 1.59 ERA), who has mainly worked out of the bullpen this season. This will be his third start.
Let's dive into the odds and a best bet for this interleague matchup:
Cubs vs. Angels odds, run line and total
Cubs vs. Angels prediction and pick
This is a dream matchup for the Angels against a struggling starter like Taillon.
The Cubs right-hander ranks in the 22nd percentile in expected ERA and the 17th percentile in expected batting average against this season. Teams are teeing off on him, hence the 7.05 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.
Meanwhile, Barria has been solid in mainly a bullpen role for the Angels, posting a 1.59 ERA and a 3.11 Fielding Independent Pitching. He's only made two starts, but he's given the team length in both of those games.
The Cubs are a far worse team against right-handed pitching (18th in OPS) than lefties (fifth in OPS) this season, so Barria should have an advantage on the bump.
Plus, the Angels have a top 10 bullpen ERA at 3.66 this season, so I expect them to be OK even with an opener-like pitcher on the mound.
Chicago is 11-17 on the road and gone just 1-8 in Taillon's starts. Bettors simply shouldn't trust the Cubbies when he's on the mound until further notice.
—
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
