Braves vs. Cubs Prediction, MLB Picks for Monday, September 14

The Atlanta Braves (88-62) and Chicago Cubs (83-67) open a three-game series at 7:40 p.m. ET on Monday, September 14. The Cubs are home favorites, and a win would return a 1.69 payout, per PrizePicks.

Both the Braves and Cubs are just about a lock to make the playoffs with just a couple of weeks left in the regular season. Atlanta holds a five-game lead in the NL East, while Chicago is tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the top NL Wild Card spot.

Still, there’s a little more work to be done for each team to officially secure a ticket to the postseason. Which team comes out on top tonight? 

Below, we'll break down our Braves vs. Cubs prediction and picks for Monday’s MLB matchup, including the run line, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

Make your Braves vs. Cubs picks and predictions on PrizePicks now.

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Braves vs. Cubs Prediction, Winner Payout, Over/Under – Monday, September 14

On the mound tonight, Atlanta will start SP Reynaldo Lopez, while Chicago will begin the game with SP David Peterson.

Last week, Lopez returned from being sidelined for over a month with a knee injury, and he was promptly lit up by the Tampa Bay Rays for 6 earned runs over 4.2 innings. 

Despite producing a roughly league-average ERA (4.13) over 76.1 innings, the right-hander has a lackluster xERA (4.81) that sits in the 21st percentile, per Baseball Savant.

Outside of doing a solid job of suppressing loud contact through a 36.2% hard-hit rate (68th percentile), he’s otherwise posted a mediocre 21.6% strikeout rate (42nd percentile), 27.5% chase rate (18th percentile), 9.7% walk rate (35th percentile), and 38.4% ground ball rate (28th percentile).

Meanwhile, Peterson has struggled to a 5.28 ERA over 131.1 innings, and it seems largely deserved based on his 5.01 xERA (14th percentile). 

As the southpaw has done throughout his career, he’s generally minimized home runs through a 50.6% ground ball rate (86th percentile) and 6.3% barrel rate (71st percentile). However, his 19.5% strikeout rate, 9.8% walk rate, and 40.6% hard-hit rate all sit in the 33rd percentile or worse.

Between both pitchers having shaky metrics and potentially 17 mph winds blowing out to left field at Wrigley Field, there’s a chance both offenses are busy at the plate tonight.

That’s particularly the case for the Cubs, a team that’s averaged the most runs per game (5.3) with a league-best 115 wRC+, per FanGraphs. While the Braves have averaged the eighth-most runs per game (4.6), they’ve put up a less imposing 98 wRC+.   

Braves vs. Cubs Winner Payout, Over/Under – Monday, September 14

The Cubs enter Monday’s game as a home favorite against the Braves, returning a 1.69x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks.

Here are the full payouts for the Braves vs. Cubs game on PrizePicks.

Make your Braves vs. Cubs prediction on the winner or over/under on PrizePicks.

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Braves vs. Cubs Prediction on Winner – 9/14/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Braves vs. Cubs prediction on the winner for Monday, September 14.

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• Against right-handed pitching, Chicago has recorded the third-best wRC+ (111), fourth-best ISO (.175), 10th-best strikeout rate (21.2%), and second-best walk rate (10.7%).
• Over the last 30 days, the Braves’ bats rank 26th in wRC+ (85) and 28th in ISO (.130).
• On the other hand, the Cubs rank second in wRC+ (129) and first in ISO (.225) over that span. 
• Despite Peterson’s struggles on the mound this season, he still carries an encouraging 4.08 xFIP.
• Peterson has given up 3 or fewer earned runs in 10 of his last 11 starts.
• This season, Lopez has allowed a 41.4% fly ball rate compared to 27.8% for Peterson. If we see hitter-friendly windy conditions, that could be more dangerous for Lopez.

Braves vs. Cubs Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 9/14/26

Here are the top Braves vs. Cubs picks to target on Monday, September 14. Today’s MLB picks for PrizePicks include Michael Busch and Ronald Acuña Jr.

Cubs 1B Michael Busch vs. Braves: 5.5 Fantasy Score

• Against left-handed batters, Lopez has posted a 5.15 xFIP and 16.7% walk rate this year.
• Busch has demonstrated excellent plate discipline in 2026, owning a 12.4% walk rate (88th percentile) and 25.3% chase rate (77th percentile).
• The first baseman has hit 13 of his 19 home runs against right-handed pitchers.
• While he hasn’t demonstrated the same pop as last year, Busch has still managed an above-average barrel rate (59th percentile).
• Over his last five games, Busch has scored 9, 6, 18, 14, and 8 fantasy points.
• Busch consistently hits third or fourth against righties, putting him in prime position to record runs and RBIs. 

Add Michael Busch to your PrizePicks lineup now.

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Braves OF Ronald Acuña Jr. vs. Cubs: 6.5 Fantasy Score

• When facing right-handed batters this year, Peterson has put up a 4.78 xFIP, 15.4% strikeout rate, and 11.8% walk rate.
• Acuña has been productive at the plate when healthy, posting a .362 xwOBA (91st percentile), .481 xSLG (87th percentile), and 12.3% barrel rate (80th percentile).
• The outfielder is on a tear this month, flashing a .453 wOBA, .327 ISO, and 15.4% K-rate.
• His red-hot play at the plate has led to him logging 18 hits, 4 home runs, 9 runs, and 11 RBIs in just 12 games in September.
• Acuña has recorded a hit in nine of his last 11 games and multiple hits in six of them.   

Add Ronald Acuña Jr. to your PrizePicks lineup now.

Make Braves vs. Cubs Picks on PrizePicks

We’re just a couple of weeks from the beginning of the postseason, and both the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs should be in the mix. Which team gets the win on Monday?

Don’t wait until the first pitch — make your Braves vs. Cubs picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.

Pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on MLB game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 36 states.

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