The San Francisco Giants have essentially fallen out of the Wild-Card race and can only play spoiler at this point of the season. The Giants travel to Wrigley Field to conclude a series on Thursday afternoon – the only matinee on the schedule. The Cubs are favored on the MLB Odds.
How to Bet Giants vs Cubs MLB Odds & Game Info
- When: Thursday, 2:20 PM ET
- Where: Wrigley Field
- Probable pitchers (away/home): Jeff Samardzija/Kyle Hendricks
- TV: MLB Network
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: SiriusXM
- MLB Odds: Chicago Cubs -185
Weather Forecast
- Sunny: 23°C/73°F
- Humidity: 59%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Cloud Cover: 17%
- Wind: 12 mph NE
- Stadium Type: Open
Why Bet on San Francisco?
The Giants took two of three from the Cubs in late July at Oracle Park, with all three games being decided by three runs or fewer.
Manager Bruce Bochy is three games away from 4,000. Only seven other managers in Major League history have managed at least 4,000 games. Bochy is on track to manage his 4,000th this Sunday in Oakland. He’s retiring after this season.
Third baseman Pablo Sandoval is set to his injured right elbow examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the team is confident Sandoval has no ligament damage, but the veteran does have loose bodies in his right elbow and is probably going to undergo surgery at some point soon. Sandoval had registered a strong .823 OPS with 14 home runs through 107 games this season with San Francisco. Outfielder Steven Duggar also is out, dealing with a left shoulder surgery.
It’s Jeff Samardzija for the Giants. Samardzija (9-9) did not factor into the decision during Friday’s win over the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings. Samardzija gave up a leadoff home run to Ketel Marte in the first inning, then held the Diamondbacks scoreless until his final frame. After allowing a double and a walk, Samardzija was yanked with two outs in the sixth, only for the bullpen to walk in one of the runners still on his ledger.
The right-hander was in line for the win until the Diamondbacks rallied in the eighth inning to even the score. Samardzija has been solid since July and will take a 3.54 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 119:38 K:BB into this start. Samardzija has been one of the best starters in the NL since July 1, posting a 2.09 ERA over his last nine starts. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Cubs and is 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in three career starts against his former club.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.37
- Hits: 8.29
- Walks: 3.02
- Strike Outs: 8.63
- Runs: 4.80
- Hits: 8.73
- Walks: 3.16
- Strike Outs: 8.56
Why Bet on Chicago?
Entering Wednesday, the Giants have lost 13 of their last 16 games at Wrigley Field since 2015. Over that span, the team has hit just .187 while averaging 3.0 runs a game.
The Cubs bullpen in the team’s last 22 games since July 28 has posted a .299 opponent on-base percentage, the best mark of any N.L. bullpen in that span. In addition, Cubs relievers in this stretch have produced a 3.42 ERA with a .227 opponent batting average and .698 opponent OPS.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo is starting to get hit. Rizzo went 3-for-3 with a pair of homers, a walk and three runs scored to lead the Cubs to a 5-3 win over the Giants on Tuesday. Rizzo has matched his 2018 total of 25 homers and overtaken his 2018 total of 74 runs scored in 32 fewer games. He has a shot at scoring 100 runs for the first time in his career; he’s at 77 right now. He’s also likely to get the 21 RBI he needs for a fifth straight year of reaching 100.
The Cubs start Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks (8-9) allowed one run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout across seven innings during a no-decision against the Pirates on Friday. Pirates starter Joe Musgrove and Hendricks squared off in an pitchers’ duel at PNC Park on Friday, as the pair mowed down batters for seven innings. Musgrove ran into trouble in the eighth, putting Hendricks in line for the win, but the Cubs bullpen blew the lead.
It was still a great way for the right-hander to bounce back after he allowed seven runs on 12 hits in 2.2 innings during his last outing. Hendricks, who will start next at home against the Giants on Thursday, is 8-9 with a 3.37 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 115 strikeouts in 136.1 innings this season. At home this year, he is 4-2 with a 1.98 ERA in 10 starts this season.
Hendricks has gone 3-2 with a 2.47 ERA (12 ER/43.2 IP) in seven-career starts against the Giants. He is 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA (6 ER/19.1 IP) in three starts at Wrigley Field.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.92
- Hits: 8.47
- Walks: 3.66
- Strike Outs: 9.02
- Runs: 4.34
- Hits: 8.38
- Walks: 3.13
- Strike Outs: 8.68
Giants vs Cubs MLB Betting Trends
- Cubs are 4-0 in Hendricks’ last 4 home starts vs. Giants
- Under is 9-2-2 in the last 13 meetings in Chicago
- Giants are 7-0 in Samardzija’s last 7 road starts
- Giants are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games when playing on the road against Cubs
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 5 games played on a Thursday
- Cubs are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cubs’ last 5 games against an opponent in the National League
Expert Final Score Prediction for Giants vs Cubs
San Francisco Giants 4 – Chicago Cubs 5
