The Giants couldn’t have picked a worse time to fall out of the playoff race. They’re coming into today at 10-17 in July, which includes losing eight of their last ten while falling out of the NL West. They are starting to drop in the NL Wild Card race as well.
The Cubs have known they’re in a rebuilding period, and we could see them ship off some players in the next couple of days. They’re coming into this matchup as the hotter team by winning seven of their last nine since returning from the All-Star break.
Despite that, San Francisco stands in as a strong home favorite. Let’s dive into the Cubs vs. Giants odds and offer a betting prediction for this Sunday Night Baseball showdown.
Cubs vs Giants Odds
| Team | Runline | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cubs (Sampson) | +1.5 (-130) | +158 | O 7.5 (-105) |
| @ Giants (Rodon) | -1.5 (+110) | -190 | U 7.5 (-115) |
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook as of 9:30 am ET on July 31.
Can Rodon Get On Track?
The Giants will send out RHP Carlos Rodon, who had been one of their more dependable starters until recently. It’s been a rough July as he comes in today with a 4.80 ERA for the month and a 2.75 FIP. Rodon has an electric fastball that he can reach into the upper 90s. He will live and die by that pitch. Over his last two starts, he’s unfortunately been burned a couple of times with extra-base hits, including three home runs in his previous two starts.
Rodon has an incredible chance to rebound, as the Cubs lineup has struggled against lefties. They come into this game in the bottom ten this season in AVG, OBP, BABIP, and strikeout rate to that split. While Rodon has been allowing runs in his last few starts, the strikeouts are still there with a 31.4 strikeout percentage which is in the 90th percentile this season.
The Cubs roster doesn’t have that much history against Rodon, with only 41 career at-bats, but they haven’t been successful as they’re batting just .195 with a 31.9% strikeout rate. I don’t think we should expect to see him kicking any bats tonight.
Will Sampson Attack SF’s Struggles?
The Cubs will counter with Adrian Sampson and he’s coming off his best start of the season, going seven innings and allowing two earned in the win. Very opposite of Rodon, he won’t overpower you, but he’s been excellent at inducing weak contact as his average exit velocity is in the 85 percentile.
The San Francisco lineup has been average throughout the season, but lately, it’s gone cold. Since July 22, the Giants are averaging just three runs per game and are right behind Pittsburgh at the bottom in every significant offensive category.
The lineup is missing some key players, which is undoubtedly a factor as Joc Pederson, Evan Longoria, and Brandon Crawford have recently hit the IL. With Pederson out, they lose a lot of power as he leads the team in home runs (17) and takes away the big threat in the middle of the lineup. Losing Longoria and Crawford completely wipes out the left side of the infield, and while Crawford has struggled offensively, the reining gold glove winner is tough to lose on defense.
Cubs vs. Giants Prediction
It’s tough to trust two lineups that have been struggling recently. The game itself could go either way, and that’s why it is better to trust the total. You should see a low-scoring game.
Bet: Cubs at Giants Under 7.5 | -115 at Caesars Sportsbook
