Cubs Set to Shatter Braves’ Winning Streak in Unforgettable Showdown

After cruising through a flawless 4-0 football weekend, the itch to keep the streak alive is real—but with only one Monday Night Football game on deck (and already locked in for a play), today calls for a pivot back to baseball’s fading spotlight. As we inch toward the playoffs, the Cubs and Braves face off in a matchup that’s raising more questions than answers. The Cubs? Not quite the powerhouse they once promised, with key hitters like Pete Crow-Armstrong showing cracks after early MVP buzz. Over on the mound, the stout Shota Imanaga aims to quiet fears about home runs, yet those 23 homers allowed this season keep the suspense alive. Meanwhile, the Braves, despite a solid overall record, have stumbled especially at home, with Bryce Elder carrying the weight—and a daunting nearly seven-run ERA on his turf. Oddly enough, back-to-back starts often bring “opposite day” for starters, so can these pitchers dodge the typical script? My gut says the Cubs edge out a short reign, likely through five innings, capitalizing on Elder’s home woes. Ready to dive deeper? LEARN MORE

Cubs vs. Braves, 7:15 ET

After a strong 4-0 football weekend, I’m really not looking for any of the plays to stop. Unfortunately, we only really have one game on the slate with Monday Night Football (I did put a play out already on that game). So, here we are, today going back to the diamond. Baseball season is winding down, with teams searching for their playoff spots at the moment. It hasn’t been a great baseball season for me, but it hasn’t been terrible either. Hopefully this last month and the playoffs will be a hot streak as we continue to build money for football. Tonight, we are taking on a game between the Cubs and Braves. 

The Cubs are going to make the playoffs, but this is not the same dominant team that looked amazing to start the season. They are only one game above .500 for the second half of the season, but something just feels off about the team. They recently gave a mental break to Kyle Tucker and it seemed like he responded to that. They recently employed the same tactic on Pete Crow-Armstrong. Early in the year, he was a potential MVP, and now, he has struggled. The question is whether teams have adjusted to him or if he is tiring a bit too much from the long season. The Cubs can’t afford questions about their hitting because they have enough questions about the pitching staff. Today, they send out a guy who is likely to start Game 1 or Game 2 for the playoffs, Shota Imanaga. Imanaga is 9-6 for the season with a 3.15 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. His road ERA is about the same as his overall ERA. He did face the Braves in his most recent start, going six innings and earning a win. He allowed just three earned runs on five hits, two of which left the yard. He has allowed seven homers over his last five starts, and 23 homers this season. If he doesn’t give up the long ball, he really doesn’t give up runs. 

The Braves are 15 games above .500, and just one game under at home. They started the season rather poorly, and then were able to run their record to even. For whatever reason, Atlanta was never able to keep rolling. It wasn’t just about injuries or anything, all of the teams dealt with injuries, and they probably had more injuries last year. The pitching is probably the biggest blame. Spencer Strider has been awful, Chris Sale has made only two starts since June 18th, and they lost Max Fried in the offseason. Today they bring Bryce Elder to the hill. He is 6-9 for the season with a 5.54 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He has been brutal at home this year, with almost a seven run ERA. He had a nice enough August, allowing 20 earned runs over 37.1 innings, but 13 of those came in two home starts. He did face the Cubs in his last start as well, allowing just four hits and one unearned run over seven innings. 

I usually tend to think that we get opposite performances when pitchers face the same team in back-to-back starts. That would imply that Imanaga and Elder will both allow a good number of runs. However, I don’t really have a strong feeling on the total. Both are decent enough pitchers. I think the Cubs will win this game, but I think they are more likely to win it through five innings. That’s the way I’ll play it – Cubs through five and take advantage of Elder struggling at home. 

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