Cubs vs Angels Betting: Will Ohtani Be Too Much for Slumping Chicago?

Ohtani's American League MVP Odds Soar To -125

The Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs open a three-game interleague series on Tuesday in Southern California. A 3-7 stretch has dropped the Angels to 31-30, 9.0 games behind Texas in the American League West and 5.0 games out of a Wild Card. Can they rebound against the struggling Cubs?

Let’s take a closer look at the series in our Cubs vs Angels betting odds preview.

The ‘Sho’ Goes On

Angels right-hander Shohei Ohtani will receive six days of rest before facing AL West rival Seattle on Friday, one more than usual on the MLB schedule. Ohtani had made all his previous starts on five days rest except for one on three days rest, which came following a rain-abbreviated stint.

Ohtani is 5-2 with a 3.30 ERA, though he’s coming off one of his worst outing’s of the season. He allowed five runs on nine hits over six innings in a 6-2 loss to Houston on Friday. His 96 strikeouts in 71 innings rank third in baseball behind Atlanta’s Spencer Strider (113) and Toronto’s Kevin Gausman (100).

While the Cubs won’t have to face Ohtani the pitcher, they won’t miss him entirely. They’ll still need to contend with Los Angeles’ two-way star at the plate. And that’s no small task.

Ohtani is hitting .274 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI, putting him in the conversation for another AL Most Valuable Player Award. He’s currently a -125 favorite to win MVP, well ahead of Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (+600), who took home the award in 2022 after slugging an AL-record 62 homers.

The Angels have not shown much interest in trading Ohtani, despite speculation that he may leave this offseason in free agency. The club bolstered the supporting cast around Ohtani and Mike Trout last winter, adding Brandon Drury, Gio Urshela and Hunter Renfroe in hopes of enticing Ohtani to stay long term. Renfroe (11 HR) and Drury (10 HR) have both performed well, though the club is still outside a playoff spot.

Cubs Fading

After splitting a four-game series with San Diego, the Cubs are just 26-33. Although they remain within 6.0 games of the first-place Pirates in the National League Central, the Cubs continue to trend down. They are 4-6 over their last 10 games and just 12-23 since April 28.

Reinforcements may be coming, though not anytime soon. Outfielder Cody Bellinger, who was off to a resurgent start after signing a one-year, $17.5 million contract last offseason, has been on the Injured List since May 19 after hurting his knee. Prior to that, the two-time All-Star and former NL MVP was hitting .271 with seven homers, 20 RBI and nine stolen bases. He recently began running the bases, but the club is still undecided if he will require a rehab assignment.

Without Bellinger, the Cubs’ production has dipped. They batted just .232 in May (down from .278 in April) and rank 20th in runs scored (257). Against San Diego, the Cubs managed just nine runs and were shut out twice. Keep that in mind as you assess the Cubs vs Angels betting odds.

Game 1
  • Tyler Anderson vs Hayden Wesneski (Tuesday, 9:38 p.m. ET)

Anderson has struggled to live up to the three-year, $39-million pact he signed with Los Angeles in November. The veteran left-hander, who went 15-5 last season with the crosstown Dodgers, has a 5.47 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over 10 starts.

He opposes Wesneski, who is 2-2 with a 4.81 ERA. The 25-year-old Wesneski has allowed 10 home runs in just 43 innings.

The Angels are -1.5 on the run line (+128) and a -130 favorite to win outright, with the Cubs priced at +110. The projected total is 9.5 for the Cubs vs Angels betting odds.

Game 2
  • Jaime Barria vs Jameson Taillon (Wednesday, 9:38 p.m. ET)

Barria is 2-2 with a 1.59 ERA, but most of his work has come out of the bullpen. He pitched well in his previous two starts, allowing one run over 10 combined innings. His counterpart, Taillon, has a 7.05 ERA after inking a four-year, $68 million deal with Chicago in December.

Game 3
  • Reid Detmers vs Drew Smyly (Thursday, 9:38 p.m. ET)

It’ll be a battle of southpaws as Detmers (0-5, 5.15 ERA) faces Smyly (5-3, 3.56). Left-handed batters (.322 average against) have fared far better than righties (.199) against Smyly.

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