Oakland Athletics @ Chicago Cubs - September 18, 2024

Oh, let me tell you, the energy around Wrigley Field is electric as my beloved Cubs get ready to take on the Oakland Athletics this Wednesday. You can feel it in the air – it’s game day! There’s just something about wearing that lucky jersey and watching our boys take the field; you can almost taste the victory.

Now, let’s dive into what we can expect from this matchup. We’ve got Brady Basso on the mound for Oakland. This lefty might have a shiny record of 1-0 with a low ERA of 1.2, but let’s be real here—he’s only thrown a handful of games. The Cubs’ lineup is no joke; we’ve seen how they can break through even the most seemingly untouchable pitchers when they’re on their game. Speaking of which, it’ll be Justin Steele taking charge for our Cubbies. His win-loss record sits at 5-5 with an ERA of about 3.9, and he’s striking out over eight batters per nine innings this season. The kid has shown he can handle pressure – we need him to step up and deliver tonight!

As far as batting goes, our Cubs are averaging around 4.6 runs per game and hitting just over .230 collectively—not exactly mind-blowing numbers, but there’s power lurking beneath those stats! Remember how we came out flat in that last outing against Oakland? A close loss like that stings more than a bee sting after summer ball practice! But I believe our guys will regroup and show up strong tonight at home.

The Athletics have been struggling a bit lately too—they’re putting up around 4 runs per game while hitting slightly better than us at .228 average-wise. But honestly? Their offense doesn’t quite match up to ours when we’re firing on all cylinders! They were able to snag that last victory against us—granted it was by just one run—but revenge is sweet, and I think our team will come back with some fire.

Looking at the odds from those moneyline experts—yeah, they’re backing us pretty heavily as favorites tonight—but let’s not overlook what happened last time: it was tight until the end! With oddsmakers setting the total at eight runs for this contest, I feel good about going under once again given both teams’ tendencies lately—especially since both pitchers are looking strong right now.

So here’s how I see it playing out: Expect an intense battle at Wrigley Field tonight! I’m confident that my Cubbies will rally together and pull off a victory against the Athletics; call me biased or whatever—it’s what I do! Keep your fingers crossed and get ready for a night filled with excitement under those iconic lights because I believe we’ll be celebrating a Chicago win before heading back home later tonight! Go Cubs Go!