Best MLB Bets Today: Cubs in Desperate Need of a Win

Today, we have a pair of bets involving teams desperate for a win. The first is an NL Central battle between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs. The second features a hot Twins team visiting Ronel Blanco and the Astros. 

We will share our favorite bet for these games below. We will use odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook, which offers new players a bonus of $150 in Bonus Bets if their initial wager of $5+ wins.

For more betting opportunities, check out our list of the best MLB betting sites and our curated list of MLB promos and bonuses.

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Best MLB Bets Today: Reds vs. Cubs (2:20 PM EST)

Cubs ML (-154) at FanDuel Sportsbook

The Cubs have been struggling badly, but they will get a badly needed win this afternoon. Chicago will be coming home to take on a Reds team that is also struggling. Both offenses have a ton of talent, so we see today’s game coming down to pitching, where the Cubs will have a major advantage. 

The Reds will have Graham Ashcraft (4-3, 4.67 ERA) making the start today. The 26-year-old is struggling again in 2024 and has been especially bad lately. Over his last three starts, he owns a 7.56 ERA and a WHIP of 1.77. The Cubs have had success against Ashcraft over the last two seasons, and we don’t see that changing tonight.

Chicago will have one of their best arms on the mound today in Javier Assad (4-1, 2.17 ERA, 1.16 WHIP). While he has stumbled a bit over his previous two starts, the righty still owns a 2.42 ERA across five starts this month. Assad has been particularly great inside the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, posting a 1.33 ERA over five starts. Given that he’ll be facing a Reds team that ranks twenty-ninth in batting average (.216), we expect him to bounce back with another great start today.

Bet on Cubs ML (-154) at FanDuel

Best MLB Bets Today: Twins vs. Astros (8:10 PM EST)

Astros ML (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook

The Twins enter riding a hot streak, but that will come to a crashing halt tonight. One big reason for that is Minnesota starter Pablo Lopez (4-5, 5.25 ERA) will be on the mound. The 28-year-old is off to a horrendous start in 2024 and has been especially bad over his previous two appearances. Lopez’s last two starts came against the Rangers and Nationals, and he allowed a combined 13 runs over 9 ⅔ innings. The righty has lost three straight starts, and that will increase to four tonight.

Lopez will be in trouble as he faces off against a great Astros lineup. Houston leads the league with a .259 batting average and has the tenth most RBIs. While he was great against the Astros in the playoffs last season, it came amid a hot streak. Lopez is now mired in a seemingly endless slump, so we don’t see him even coming close to duplicating that effort.

The Astros will have Ronel Blanco (5-0, 1.99 ERA) making the start at home tonight. The 30-year-old has broken out in a big way this season, becoming the team’s most reliable arm. He is coming off one of his best starts, allowing just one run on four hits over seven innings. 

As well as the Twins have been playing, they still rank twenty-second in batting average (.234) and sixteenth in RBIs (224). That will be a problem tonight as they face one of the best pitchers in the league on the mound.

Bet on Cubs Astros ML (-110) at FanDuel

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