Cubs And A's Should Be Low-Scoring Battle

Cubs vs. Athletics, 10:05 ET

I went just 1-2 yesterday and lost a unit on the games. Obviously not a great way to get back into baseball, but we are just warming up, and as I'm sure you're aware, it is a long season. One of my favorite things that my pal Geoff Clark said is that our advantage over the sportsbook is that we get to choose what to play, so if something is off, that's when you pounce. I was looking at the games today and said that this one stood out to me between the Cubs and Athletics. Let's see if I'm right about it.

The Cubs come into this game with one of the more brutal starts to the season that a team could have. To be clear, I'm not saying the team has lost a bunch of games like the Braves, or gotten a player suspended for 80-days like the Braves. Instead, I'm saying that they had to travel to Japan to play against the World Series champs, then came back to finish Spring Training which wasn't the correct amount of time that players are normally used to, and then start the season (again) against the Arizona Diamondbacks who were in the World Series two years ago. That's tough. They also haven't had a day off like most teams do to start seasons. In their five games since the Japan opener, they are 3-2, splitting a series against the Diamondbacks and then pounding the Athletics last night to the tune of an 18-3 drubbing. Tonight, they get to flip that rotation over and send out Justin Steele for his third start of the young season. Steele is a really talented pitcher, but hasn't looked all that sharp yet. He has allowed eight earned runs over nine innings while also giving up three home runs in that span. He has faced A's hitters just 23 times (with 11 of them against Luis Urias) and allowed only five hits.

Mar 31, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; A detail view of the Sacramento patch the Athletics are wearing during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Athletics are playing in Sacramento, and it just feels weird. I guess I shouldn't care because I live in Chicago so I won't go to an Oakland game anyway, but it is funny seeing a baseball team like Cher or Madonna - just one name. The Chicago Cubs vs. Athletics, that's how it is listed and I think it is wild. In any case, the team is hoping to make a little bit of noise no matter where they play. Right now they are 2-3 for the year. They took two games from the Mariners in the season's opening series, but looked really bad at their new "home" in the first game. They are putting Luis Severino on the hill today and he had a gem of a debut for the Athletics, going six innings and allowing just three hits while striking out six. He did allow four walks, so that is something to pay close attention to. He's been really good against the Cubs in the past with just seven hits allowed in 51 at-bats against him.

I think the Cubs will win this game again, but I don't feel super confident in it as Severino can be a really good pitcher. Kyle Tucker has looked like a great addition to the Cubs lineup with a .323 batting average and three home runs already, but we will see how long this hot hitting can last. I think this has the makings of a pitching duel. I'm going to back under 8.5 in this one. 

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