The Daily Sweat: The Braves head to Chicago to play the surging Cubs

Can the Atlanta Braves stop the Chicago Cubs from scoring a bunch of runs?

Atlanta travels to Chicago to kick off a three-game series Friday (2:20 p.m. ET) as the Cubs have been red-hot since the All-Star break. Chicago is 14-6 in 20 games since the season resumed and just won three out of four against the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds.

The Cubs have scored 145 runs in those 20 games — the most runs of any team in baseball since the break — and are just 2.5 games back of the Reds in the Central and 2.5 games back of a wild-card spot in the National League. Former Brave Dansby Swanson has been great at the plate since July began and has already hit three homers in 12 at-bats in August.

The Braves, of course, enter with the best record in Major League Baseball and a massive 11.5-game lead in the NL East. Atlanta is seven games ahead of the Dodgers for the best record in the league and boasts the best offense in baseball.

Atlanta is -165 to win this one straight up as Max Fried takes the mound Friday for the first time since May. Fried has been sidelined since May 5 by a strained left forearm. Before he was out for more than two months, he threw 26 innings in five starts, allowing six earned runs and striking out 25.

Kyle Hendricks starts for the Cubs, as they’re +140 to win. Hendricks has a 3.48 ERA over the course of 15 starts in 2023 and has struck out 48 hitters in 77 1/3 innings.

If you want to bet the run total, the over is the favored play. Over 8.5 runs is at -120, while a low-scoring game is at +100.

Other MLB action

The Astros visit the Yankees to continue a four-game series, while the Dodgers head to San Diego for a three-game set. Houston is 1.5 games back of the Rangers in the AL West, while the Yankees are in last and 10 games back of the AL East lead, despite being five games over .500.

The Padres made a few moves at the trade deadline to bolster their chances of sneaking into the wild-card spots in the National League. San Diego is 54-55 and fourth in the NL West. The Padres are nine games back of the Dodgers in the division.

Houston is -145 to beat the Yankees as Hunter Brown takes on Luis Severino. Bobby Miller starts for the Dodgers against Yu Darvish, as the Dodgers are -105 to win, while the Padres are slight favorites at -115.

Overnight Women’s World Cup action

The knockout rounds of the Women’s World Cup begin overnight into Saturday.

Spain is heavily favored against Switzerland, and Japan is favored to beat Norway. Spain finished second in its group but is -275 to beat Switzerland. The Spanish women are tied with the USWNT as the No. 2 favorites to win the World Cup.

Japan beat its three group-stage opponents by a combined score of 11-0. It is -130 to beat a Norway team that didn’t live up to its potential in the group stage. Norway is +360 to win that game. The winner of this game will face the winner of the USWNT vs. Sweden in the next round.

Russell Henley favored at the Wyndham

Russell Henley shot a first-round 62 at the Wyndham on Thursday to end the day with a one-shot lead. That first-round performance put him at +260 to win the tournament, ahead of Byeong Hun An at +800. Adam Scott is at +1400 after shooting a 65, while Justin Thomas is at +15000 after shooting an even-par 70. Thomas is in the tournament as he’s trying to sneak into the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Who cashed tickets Thursday?

Those of you who bet the over in the Hall of Fame Game — why are you betting on preseason football? — were happy, as the Browns beat the Jets 21-16.