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After winning just 68 games a year ago, the Texas Rangers look to continue their hot start as they face the Chicago Cubs in interleague action on Friday afternoon. The Rangers (4-2), who are 3-0 against National League teams this season, are coming off a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. The Cubs (2-3), who had their Wednesday game with Cincinnati rained out, defeated the Reds 12-5 on Tuesday. Texas and Chicago have met just 18 times before with each team recording nine wins.

The game is slated to begin at 2:20 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Rangers are hitting .265 as a team, ninth-best in MLB, while the Cubs have a .273 average, seventh-best. Chicago is a -125 favorite (risk $125 to win $100) on the money line in the latest Rangers vs. Cubs odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total runs scored is 6.5. Before making any Cubs vs. Rangers picks, be sure to check out the latest MLB predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It went 331-285 on top-rated MLB money-line picks (+357) over the past two seasons, and it finished the 2022 MLB season on a 20-14 roll. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on Cubs vs. Rangers and revealed its predictions and best bets. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's MLB picks. Here are the MLB odds and betting trends for Rangers vs. Cubs:

  • Rangers vs. Cubs money line: Rangers +105, Cubs -125
  • Rangers vs. Cubs over/under: 6.5 runs
  • Rangers vs. Cubs run line: Cubs -1.5 (+175)
  • TEX: The Rangers are 5-1 in their last six interleague games
  • CHI: The Cubs are 12-2 in their last 14 Friday games
  • Rangers vs. Cubs picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why you should back the Cubs

The Cubs will start Marcus Stroman (1-0, 0.00) and he'll be backed by a lineup that is hitting well to start the season. Left fielder Ian Happ has been red hot to start the season. In five games, he is batting .438 with two doubles, one homer, two RBI and six runs scored. He is coming off a 3-for-4 performance at Cincinnati on Tuesday, including a double, RBI and two runs scored. He had two hits against the Milwaukee Brewers with a solo homer in a 3-1 loss on Saturday. In 158 games with the Cubs a year ago, Happ hit .271 with 42 doubles, two triples, 17 homers and 72 RBI.

Third baseman Patrick Wisdom is coming off a 4-for-9 series against the Cincinnati Reds with two doubles and three RBI. He has hits in each of the past three games, including two with two hits or more. For the season, Wisdom is hitting .375 with two doubles, two homers, five RBI and five runs scored. In 134 games with the Cubs in 2022, he hit .207 with 28 doubles, 25 homers and 66 RBI.

Why you should back the Rangers

Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will get the start for Texas. In the 16-3 win over the Phillies on Saturday, he allowed six hits and three earned runs in five innings. He walked two and struck out six. In 20 starts for the Boston Red Sox in 2022, he was 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA. In 109.1 innings, he allowed 47 earned runs, 115 hits and 20 walks, while striking out 103 for a WHIP of 1.23.

Center fielder Adolis Garcia is off to a fast start to the season, batting .348 with a homer, six runs scored and five RBI in six games. In Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, Garcia was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. He had three hits and an RBI in Saturday's win over Philadelphia. In 156 games with the Rangers last season, he hit .250 with 34 doubles, five triples, 27 homers and 101 RBI.

How to make Rangers vs. Cubs picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the run total, as the simulations have the teams combining for 9.4 runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Cubs vs. Rangers? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the money line to jump on, all from the advanced model that finished last season on a roll, and find out.