Giants vs Cubs Predictions, Picks, Odds: Hendricks Keeps San Francisco's Bats at Bay

The San Francisco Giants will look to pick up a critical win in the National League wild card race as they take on the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.

The Cubs (74-64) took the first game of the series behind a 5-0 shutout on Monday. The Giants (70-68) have now lost four straight and have scored just one run over their last three games.

While San Francisco will want to reverse that offensive trend, it will have to do so against Kyle Hendricks, who has had great success against the team this year. We’ll break it down in our free MLB picks and predictions for Giants vs. Cubs on September 5. 

Giants vs Cubs odds

Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account

Giants vs Cubs predictions

Back on June 10, Kyle Hendricks enjoyed one of the best starts of his career in San Francisco. The 33-year-old threw eight innings of shutout ball against the San Francisco Giants, allowing just one hit: a two-out double to Mitch Haniger in the eighth inning.

The veteran righty has been quite effective for the Chicago Cubs this season and has been pitching well as of late. In his last five starts, Kendricks has put up a 2.48 ERA over 29 innings of work, giving Chicago some of his best stuff during the pennant race — even if the Cubs haven’t always been able to take advantage of it.

At a glance, I’d expect Hendricks to continue pitching well on Tuesday. The Giants are averaging just 4.23 runs per game this season and have now been shut out two games in a row. In their current four-game losing streak, they have averaged exactly one run per game. Even diving further back, the San Francisco offense was cold throughout August, putting up just 3.74 runs per contest last month.

Despite the G-Men's poor offensive form over the last month, sportsbooks have put the Over/Under on San Francisco’s team total at a healthy 4.5 runs that is juiced to the Over. This simply doesn’t make sense.

The Giants haven’t averaged 4.5 runs for the season and Hendricks has been in great form lately. Even if the Cubs starter gets knocked around a bit, manager David Ross won’t hesitate to yank him from such a critical game.

I’m taking the Under on the Giants team total and getting a generous price on what is clearly the correct side of this market.

My best bet: Giants team total Under 4.5 (+102 at Unibet)

Giants vs Cubs same-game parlay

Giants Under 4.5 runs

Cubs moneyline

Kyle Hendricks 4+ strikeouts

+250 at DraftKings

I have a clear idea of what I think tonight’s game story will be, which makes it easy to craft a same-game parlay around my best bet. We’ll start with that wager, which is predicting the Giants to hit the Under on their team total of 4.5 runs.

We’ll pair that up with a Cubs win on the moneyline. The Giants are floundering at the moment, and I trust Hendricks and Chicago to take advantage of that in a game that they need nearly as badly as San Francisco. 

Finally, let’s back Hendricks to get at least four strikeouts in tonight’s game. Hendricks has struck out at least four batters in four of his last five games and should last long enough in tonight’s contest to hit that total again.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Giants vs Cubs moneyline and Over/Under analysis

The Cubs opened tonight’s game as a -155 favorite. As of early afternoon on Tuesday, that line has tightened, with numbers as short as Chicago -134 available at some sites. Most books are offering +115 on the visiting Giants. 

San Francisco has been slightly disappointing in 2023, and as a result, the Giants have lost nearly seven units on the moneyline this year. Meanwhile, the Cubs have earned backers over eight units on the moneyline.

While Ryan Walker has been excellent on the bump for the Giants this year, I still have to give the veteran Hendricks the advantage in this pitching matchup. When we throw in the fact that the Cubs are at home and the fact that the Giants are struggling to score against anyone as of late, this looks like a difficult task for San Francisco tonight. 

Meanwhile, the total for this game opened at a robust 11 runs. Most books have since come down to 10.5, and the Under is still juiced at many sites.

With how badly San Francisco’s offense has been struggling, it’s not surprising to find that the Under has gone 78-57 in Giants games this season. The Cubs have played to higher scores, with the Over going 70-64 in Chicago’s 2023 contests. 

The public has bet this total down since it first opened, and I think that instinct is correct. The Giants have played to a total of 10 runs or less in each of their last eight games, while the Cubs have done so in seven of their last eight contests.

I’m strongly backing the Under, which may have been my best bet of the night if not for the favorable odds on the Under for the Giants’ team total.

Trend to know

The Giants have scored four runs or less in six of their last eight games. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Cubs

Giants vs Cubs game info

Starting pitchers

Ryan Walker (4-2, 2.16 ERA): The 27-year-old made his MLB debut for the Giants on May 21, and has earned a permanent position on the roster with effective pitching both out of the bullpen and as an opener. Walker last pitched on August 31, allowing two hits and striking out two batters in a bullpen appearance against the Padres.

Kyle Hendricks (5-7, 3.59 ERA): Having spent the entirety of his 10-year career with the Cubs, Hendricks appeared to be losing a step over the past couple of seasons. However, the 33-year-old is enjoying a bounce-back year in 2023, putting up a 3.59 ERA over 110 innings of work. While Hendricks isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, he has excellent control and does a consistently good job of pitching to soft contact. Hendricks allowed two runs over five innings against the Mets in his last start.

Latest injuries

Weather

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic