Monday’s Cubs vs. Giants matchup has a first pitch of 8:05 PM ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. The money line odds have the Cubs as the favorite at -125, while the Giants are sitting at +104. The over/under line is currently 9.5 runs.
Looking at the standings, the Giants are 4th in the NL West with a record of 35-37, while the Cubs are 5th in the NL Central at 34-38. NBCS will be televising this game, and the forecast for Monday’s matchup in Chicago calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 90s.
Giants Look to Gain Ground in NL West as Hicks Faces Cubs’ Mid-Tier Offense,
San Francisco is 35-37 overall and 8.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The Giants are 13-13 against other teams in the NL West this season. Jordan Hicks is 4-3 with a 3.01 ERA this season, and he will be facing a Cubs lineup that is 16th in scoring this season. So far, Hicks has given up at least one homer in three of his last four outings.
San Francisco’s offense is 15th in scoring, averaging 4.4 runs per game. Their over/under record is 38-32, and the over/under line for today’s game is set at 9.5 runs. The Giants are 35-37 on the run line this season and 19-16 on the run line on the road. Heliot Ramos is hitting .323 over his last 7 games for the Giants.
Cubs Struggle to Gain Ground in NL Central Despite Strong Home Record,
Chicago is 34-38 overall, putting them 5th in the NL Central. They are 8.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead and trail the Reds by a half-game for the 4th spot in the division. The Cubs went 9-17 in divisional games. The Cubs were just 3-7 in their last 10 games, and they dropped two of three in their series vs. the Cardinals. So far, they have gone 19-15 at home compared to 15-23 on the road. As the favorite, Chicago is 17-16 and 17-22 as the underdog. Today’s game vs. the Giants is a home game, and the Cubs are 12-11 as the home favorite this year. So far, their overall series record is 8-13-2.
Chicago Cubs games have gone under the total in nine straight games, and they have an over/under record of 30-39 on the season. The Cubs are averaging 8.5 combined runs per game, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. However, when the over/under line has been set at 9.5 runs, the Cubs’ games have gone over the total in all four instances. Only 5.6% of their games this season have had over/under lines set at 9.5 runs. Through 14 starts, Javier Assad has a record of 4-2 and an ERA of 2.81 for the Cubs. He most recently faced the Rays, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had allowed at least two home runs in three straight starts. Assad has made three quality starts this year, and his ERA at home is 1.79 compared to 3.71 on the road. Overall, he has a BB/9 figure of 3.67 compared to 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Giants Edge Cubs in Predicted 5-4 Thriller: Money Line Value at +104,
Our predicted score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Giants, so we are recommending taking them on the money line, where they are sitting at +104. We do have the Cubs finishing with a 4-3 advantage in terms of home runs, but their starting pitcher, Javier Assad, is projected to finish with just five strikeouts, which is the fifth lowest among all starters today.
Looking at the Giants’ starter, Jordan Hicks, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which is the third lowest among all starters. However, we do have him finishing with a better ERA than Assad and giving up fewer hits.
