Cubs Odds in Review: Cubs Remain Relevant After Dropping Series to the Pirates

According to MLB.com, the Chicago Cubs remain Number 9 in their Power Rankings despite dropping three of four games to the Pirates last week. Though the Cubs were very competitive against the Braves earlier in the week, they finished the week at 3-5 and the season at 26-22, second place in the NL Central.

The MLB Power Rankings acknowledges that the Cubs are a good team. But will they win something important? Only the oddsmakers can tell us that. All odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

NL Central Odds

The Cubs are basically neck and neck with the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL Central, just like the standings imply. With the Cubs only 1.5 games back of the Brewers, FanDuel puts the Cubs at +130 to win the NL Central and the Brewers at +120.

As of late, the Cubs have been relying on their starting pitching to keep them in games and series. With the return of SS Dansby Swanson and 2B Nico Hoerner this week, the Cubs are back to full strength on offense. The month of May does not end well for the Cubs with three against the Braves and four against Milwaukee. However, that is also an opportunity to close the gap with the Milwaukee

Looking at the June schedule, the Cubs very favorably take on Cincinnati, the White Sox, St. Louis, the Mets, San Francisco, and Milwaukee. It is very realistic that the Cubs will take over the first-place spot and the odds will not be as favorable for the Cubs come the end of June.

Advice: Bet. You won't retire with +130 odds, but this is a good bet that is a very realistic outcome for the Cubs if they can keep their team on the field.

National League Odds

Interestingly the Cubs are also ranked ahead of the Brewers to win the National League. They are fourth at +1600 behind the Dodgers (+135), Braves (+280), and Phillies (+470).

Chicago has already proven to be competitive with the Braves (when SP Chris Sale is not pitching) and we will be more informed after playing them three times this week. The Cubs do not play Philadelphia until July. The Cubs played the Dodgers the fourth through sixth games of the year, and won two out of three, but it was really early on. The Cubs do not play the Dodgers again until September.

In the major offensive categories, here are how the teams stack up according to MLB.com:
- AVG: LA is 2nd, Philadelphia is 3rd, the Cubs are 24th.
- HR: LA is 3rd, Philadelphia is 8th, the Cubs are 14th.
- RBI's: LA is 1st, Philadelphia is 2nd, the Cubs are13th.
- R's: LA is 1st, Philadelphia is 2nd, the Cubs are 12th.
- SLG: LA is 2nd, Philadelphia is 6th, the Cubs are 17th.
- OPS: LA is 1st, Philadelphia is 5th, the Cubs are 16th.

Offensively, it doesn't feel like the Cubs are in the same category as the Dodgers and Phillies. But the Cubs have been without their full line up for some of April and most of May. RF Seiya Suzuki, CF Cody Bellinger, Swanson, and Hoerner have all spent time on the IL. 3B Christopher Morel has been the most stable part of the lineup.

At the beginning of the year, the Cubs were top 10 in most offensive categories, if not top 5. A return to that form would make them more competitive offensively.

For pitching, the Dodgers are third in ERA, the Phillies are fourth, and the Cubs are 11th. The Cubs have SP Shota Imanaga leading the league in ERA and SP Javier Assad in third. SP Kyle Hendricks and a couple of bullpen pitchers like Luke Little and Adbert Alzolay have increased the collective ERA. It is safe to say that the Cubs are on par at the pitching level.

Advice: Wait. If the Cubs offense returns to form in the next 1-2 weeks, this would be a good bet. It will be very difficult to beat the Dodgers and Phillies, but the return is such that it would be a smart bet. But the offense must return.

World Series Odds

FanDuel has the Cubs at the 12th best odds for winning the World Series (+4000).

A slew of American League teams has higher odds, including the New York Yankees (+550), Seattle Mariners (+1800), Baltimore Orioles (+1200), Minnesota Twins (+2500), and Cleveland Guardians (+3000. Even the Houston Astros, who sit at 20-27, have better odds than the Cubs.

Winning the World Series just doesn't seem like the right fit for the Cubs right now with the full lineup just returning recently. If the Cubs overtake Milwaukee in June and their record starts looking more like the Dodgers and Phillies, the conversation could be reopened.

Advice: Pass.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.