Discover the Betting Trends for Cubs vs Rangers Game – Friday, May 8, 2026

Chicago Cubs

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Texas Rangers

Chicago Cubs Insights

• Ben Brown – Over/Under Pitching Outs
  The leading projection system (THE BAT X) expects Ben Brown to be limited today, projecting a maximum of 81 pitches.
  Explain: A pitcher who is on a pitch count is likely to be pulled from the game earlier, record fewer outs, and generate fewer strikeouts.
• Moises Ballesteros – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-230/+175)
  Moises Ballesteros is projected to bat 2nd on the lineup card today, which would be an upgrade from his 62% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this year.
  Explain: The higher in the order a player bats, the more plate appearances he will get and the more opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits higher in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting lower.
• Seiya Suzuki – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+135/-170)
  Seiya Suzuki hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (40.5% — 99th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of baseball’s 6th-deepest CF fences in today’s matchup.
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Texas Rangers Insights

• Kumar Rocker – Over/Under 3.5 Strikeouts (-135/+105)
  Kumar Rocker’s slider rate has spiked by 20.8% from last season to this one (15.8% to 36.6%) .
  Explain: Because sliders are one of the most effective pitches to use, a pitcher who alters his pitch mix to use more of them will often see more success as a result.
• Evan Carter – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-105/-125)
  Evan Carter’s average exit velocity has dropped off recently; his 87.8-mph seasonal EV has lowered to 82.3-mph in the last two weeks’ worth of games.
  Explain: Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.
• Texas grades out as the #29 team in the majors when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs (13% rate this year).
  Explain: Balls that are hit too low can’t clear the fences, and balls that are hit too high generally don’t go far enough and are easy pop flies, but balls hit between 23° and 34° are far more likely to become home runs.

Betting Trends

• Texas Rangers – Over/Under 3.5 Team Total (-125/-105)
  The Texas Rangers have hit the Team Total Under in 14 of their last 19 games at home (+8.95 Units / 40% ROI)
• Chicago Cubs – Moneyline (-140)
  The Chicago Cubs have hit the Moneyline in 19 of their last 22 games (+16.75 Units / 56% ROI)
• Jake Burger – Over/Under 0.5 RBIs (+190/-255)
  Jake Burger has hit the RBIs Under in 13 of his last 15 games at home (+8.40 Units / 25% ROI)