Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/16/2026

Game Time: 7:40 pm ET, Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Braves +118, Cubs -142; Over/Under:  NL runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Braves +120, Cubs -145; Over/Under:  NL runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Braves +120, Cubs -145; Over/Under:  NL runs

Atlanta Braves:  88-63 (1st place, NL East)

Chicago Cubs:  84-67 (2nd place, NL Central)

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Atlanta Braves:  4-6 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  5-5 last 10

The Braves are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with an 88-63 record overall and have a road record of 37-36. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Braves lost the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 15th in the MLB with a .721 OPS. Martín Pérez is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while rookie pitcher JR Ritchie is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 3 BB with 4 SO on 4 hits through 4 IP against the Washington Nationals.

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with an 84-67 record overall and have a home record of 44-32. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Cubs won the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .771 OPS. Kevin Gausman is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Shota Imanaga is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 10-10 with a 3.88 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts on 5 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 88-63 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have been a good road team too with their 37-36 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Cubs have looked really good in their games this season with their 84-67 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 44-32 home record this season. The Cubs are 5-5 in their last 10 games and haven't looked great lately, but they do have one of the best offenses in MLB and already took the 1st game of this series. The Braves haven't looked any better lately either, going 4-6 in their last 10 games, and the Cubs are going to have the better pitching matchup here too. The Cubs are going with Imanaga in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 10-10 with a 3.88 ERA and he has looked a lot better lately. He is coming off another great start giving up 2 earned runs which has been a common theme for him lately and the team has been having success with him too, winning 2 games in a row now with him starting. The Braves are going with Ritchie in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA and he has been having some trouble in this rookie season. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him and the team has still lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. He hasn't been going very far in his starts either and the Cubs definitely have the offense to take advantage of this inexperienced starter. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Braves Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, September 16, 2026 (7:40 pm ET start time) is Cubs 4 Braves 1.

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Atlanta Braves: 42-44 (-12.9 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 253-224 (-41.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 117-120 (-24.1 units) on the moneyline in road games. 21-12 UNDER as an underdog of +100 or higher. 

Chicago Cubs: 52-38 (+6.7 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 264-219 (+14.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 143-100 (+10.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 47-35 UNDER vs. a team with a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.45 or better.

Atlanta Braves:  L. Thomas (LF) Ten Day IL - Side. B. Elder (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. R. Suarez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. S. Strider (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Wentz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Jimenez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Schwellenbach (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  T. Thornton (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Ankle. P. Maton (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. D. Swanson (SS) Ten Day IL - Side. B. Brown (RP) Sixty Day IL - Neck. G. Hollowell (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. R. Martin (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. P. Hodge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Horton (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Tricep. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Austin (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Miller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“He said he's had some good days and bad days throughout the year. Sometimes he hasn't felt it at all, and then sometimes he does. So we’ve got to change course here.” - Walt Weiss on Reynaldo Lopez after his team’s loss against the Cubs in their game on Monday.

“That says a whole lot. It’s a Hall of Famer. It shows how hard it is to do what he’s done this year, in terms of just hitting home runs at Wrigley. And it’s great company. We see Billy a lot. It’s great company to keep.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s win against the Braves in their game on Monday.

Ronald Acuña Jr. (R) RF

Drake Baldwin (L) DH

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Mauricio Dubón (R) LF

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Sean Murphy (R) C

Ha-Seong Kim (R) SS

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Ian Happ (S) LF

Nico Hoerner (R) SS

Michael Conforto (L) DH

Pedro Ramírez (S) 2B

Carson Kelly (R) C

Batting Average:  DaShawn Keirsey (1.000)

Hits:  Michael Harris (161)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (39)

RBI:  Matt Olson (85)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuña (20)

Wins:  Chris Sale (14)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (32)

ERA:  Hunter Stratton (0.00)

Batting Average:  Gabriel Arias (.429)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (164)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (42)

RBI:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (102)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (37)

Wins:  Shota Imanaga (10)

Saves:  Jacob Webb (9)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Managers:

Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)