MLBN is carrying Thursday's Cubs vs. Giants matchup, with coverage starting at 3:45 PM ET. This one is being played at Oracle Park in San Francisco, and the Giants are slight money line favorites (-108).
The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs, and the Giants will be looking to extend their three-game win streak vs. a Cubs team that has lost four straight. Chicago is 5th in the NL Central, while the Giants are 4th in the NL West. Today's starter for the Cubs is Shota Imanaga, and he is facing off against Jordan Hicks for the Giants.
Chicago vs. San Francisco Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Cubs at Giants
- Where: Oracle Park San Francisco
- Date: Thursday, June 27th
- Betting Odds CHC -110 | SF -108 O/U 7.5
Cubs vs Giants Last Game Recap
San Francisco picked up a 4-3 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Giants had a three-run 2nd inning and scored the game's go-ahead run in the 5th. As for the Cubs, they scored one run in the 4th and added their final two runs in the 5th.
Hayden Birdsong only went 4 2/3 innings for the Giants but gave up just three hits and three earned runs. Luke Jackson got the win out of the bullpen, and Camilo Doval got the save. Drew Smyly took the loss for Chicago, giving up three earned runs in four innings of work.
Luis Matos and Michael Conforto each homered for the Giants, while David Villar scored twice and drove in a run while going 1/3. Seiya Suzuki hit a home run for the Cubs, going 1/4.
Cubs Preview
Chicago is looking to end a four-game losing streak today, as they have dropped the first three games of this series vs. the Giants. The Cubs are 5th in the NL Central, 11 games behind the Brewers. Their overall record is 37-44, and they have a 15-26 record on the road.
When the Cubs win, they do so by an average of 3.0 runs per game, and their run line record is 38-43. This season, their games have averaged 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 34-44. Heading into today's game, they are on a two-game under streak, and 65.4% of their games have had over/under lines higher than today's total of 7.5 runs.
Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Giants on the road. He has made 14 starts this season and has a record of 7-2 with an ERA of 2.96. Imanaga's WHIP for the season is currently 1.10. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up 10 hits, 10 earned runs, and three homers in three innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Imanaga has given up at least one homer in three of his last four outings. Per nine innings, he is averaging 1.37 walks compared to 9.23 strikeouts.
Over his last six games, Christopher Morel has gone 6/20 with two homers and four RBIs. Morel is batting just .204 for the season but leads the team with 15 homers and is 14th in the league with 45 RBIs. Cody Bellinger is also swinging a hot bat right now, going 8/21 in his last six games. For the season, he is batting .273 with nine homers and 34 RBIs.
As a team, the Cubs are 20th in scoring at 4.1 runs per game. They are also below average in terms of batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS. The Cubs are also one of the league's worst teams in terms of striking out but are 5th in the league in walks. Currently, the Cubs have five players who have gone deep at least nine times this season.
Giants Preview
San Francisco's overall run line record is 39-42, and they have a 23-18 record as the favorite. The Giants are 16-24 as the underdog. They have a -0.3 run margin per game, and their over/under record is 44-35 this season.
Currently, the Giants are 4th in the NL West, 11.5 games behind the Dodgers. They have won three straight games and are 23-17 at home this season. Today, they host the Cubs, and the O/U line is 7.5 runs. The Giants' record when the O/U line is 7.5 runs is 18-12.
Giants starter Jordan Hicks will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Cardinals, as he was tagged with the loss after giving up five earned runs in four innings of work. In that outing, he gave up three homers. Before that start, he had been pitching well, as he didn't give up a homer in his previous three outings. Overall, Hicks has a record of 4-4 and an ERA of 3.24. Looking at his home/away splits, he has an ERA of 3.0 at home compared to 3.93 on the road. Per nine innings, Hicks is averaging 3.46 walks compared to 7.7 strikeouts.
Heliot Ramos has been a bright spot for the Giants this season, as his 10 home runs are 15th in the league and leads the team. However, he is coming off a stretch in which he has gone just 7/38 (.184) with two homers. Matt Chapman, Thairo Estrada, and Jorge Soler are all tied for 2nd on the team with nine homers. Chapman and Estrada are also tied for 11th on the team with a batting average of .234.
As a team, the Giants are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. Their team batting average of .245 is 10th in the league, and they have the 13th ranked home run total in the league. San Francisco's offense has been patient at the plate, as they are the 8th toughest team to strike out in the league.
Cubs vs. Giants Prediction: Giants ML -108
With the money line sitting at -108, we really like the Giants to pick up a win at home over the Cubs. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Giants, giving us some room to take the money line or even look at the run line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Jordan Hicks going for the Giants. Hicks is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and with the Cubs predicted to finish with nine, we would look at the over on Hicks' strikeout line. As for Shota Imanaga, his strikeout line is sitting at eight, which is the third highest among starters today.
