A key battle on the MLB odds menu sees visiting Miami duelling Chicago on Monday at Wrigley Field.

Henderson Alvarez, with a record of 2-3 on the season, gets the ball for the Marlins, while the Cubs trot Travis Wood to the mound in this one. He is 8-10 so far in 2013.



View Miami vs Chi Cubs Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to back visiting Miami before the first pitch in this match found them as +-167-moneyline underdogs earlier today at Sportsbook. They saw the total of 8 earlier at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 12 (Cubs) and the No. 9 (Marlins) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Chicago's National League No. 11-ranked scoring average of 3.9 runs per game, against a Marlins offense rated No. 15 and scoring 3.2 runs per game in the league. The Cubs have averaged 8.2 hits per game to date this season, more than the Marlins hitters have managed (7.7 per nine innings).

Miami brings the National League's No. 6-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Cubs' league No. 10-ranked defense.

Miami won its last outing, a 7-0 result against the Braves on September 1. Bettors who backed the Marlins at +200 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (7) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Marlins didn’t allow a single run in their last start, as their staff shut out Atlanta 7-0 on Sunday at Turner Field.

The Cubs were a 7-1 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Phillies. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Chicago at -127 on the moneyline, while the total score (8) was good news for UNDER bettors. The Cubs grabbed a win last time out, defeating Kyle Kendrick and the Phillies 7-1 on Sunday at Wrigley Field.


Miami Marlins Trends:
When playing on Monday are 5-5
Before playing Chi Cubs are 6-4
After playing Atlanta are 5-5
After a win are 4-6

Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Monday are 2-8
Before playing Miami are 5-5
After playing Philadelphia are 6-4
After a win are 2-8

A few Marlins at Cubs trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Miami is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Miami is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Miami is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Chi Cubs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Miami
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing Miami
Chi Cubs are 6-14 SU in their last 20 games
Chi Cubs are 5-17 SU in their last 22 games at home


Next up:
Miami at Chi Cubs, Tuesday, September 3