Posted at 10:30 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle  +113 BET365  +105 Sportsinteraction  +105 888Sport  +105

Chicago +113 over Houston

2:20 PM EST. While Javier Assad (RHP - CHC) is not the target here, we’ll shine a light on him, as he’s been a nice surprise for the Cubs after winning his first two games and posting a solid 3.18 xERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 21 Ks across 21.1 innings thus far. Assad isn’t going to blow anyone away, but we don’t need him to; we just need him to be better than the aged stiff he is facing on the other side of this equation.

Justin Verlander (RHP - HOU) is making his second start back from his season-opening IL stint with a shoulder injury. Verlander is making his first start at Wrigley Field since 2012, which is a tough assignment, as the Cubs own a robust .797 OPS at home. Verlander picked up a win versus the Nationals in his first start last Friday, where he allowed two runs on four hits over six innings while striking out four. With Verlander still on his way back from injury, he is reported to still be on a pitch count, and the Astros are very closely monitoring his workload.

Still, Father Time remains undefeated, but he's got a heck of a battle here with Justin Verlander. You can see the cracks accumulating in his swing and miss rate, BB%, K%, fly-ball rates and disaster starts percentage. There's also no evolution in his pitch mix; he's riding his same repertoire as far as it takes him. He pitched to the level of last year's weak xERA, but it’s bad news for those that back him if he does that again. Dude is great fade material and should not be roac chalk.

Sherwood

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