Giants vs. Cubs Odds
| Giants Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
+120 | 11 -104 / -118 | +1.5 -154 |
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
-142 | 11 -104 / -118 | -1.5 +128 |
The third and final game of this series gets underway Wednesday as the NL Central's Chicago Cubs host the NL West's San Francisco Giants.
Chicago won the first two matchups of this series by a combined score of 16-8.
Will the Cubs take care of business once again, or can the Giants end the series on a high note?
Here's a look at the odds and my Giants vs. Cubs betting pick and prediction.
San Francisco Giants
It hasn't been a particularly easy year for the Giants, who currently sit two games out of the final wild card spot in the NL playoff race.
The hitting is to blame for their setbacks this season, as they rank in the bottom third of the league in runs scored per game, hits per game, BA, SLG, OPS and home runs.
Particularly, San Francisco also struggles to avoid strikeouts, as it ranks third-to-last in K% when facing left-handed pitching. Looking at Wednesday's projected starting lineup, eight of the nine hitters possess a K% north of 24% this season.
Opposing starting pitchers have recorded five or more strikeouts in eight of the past nine games against the Giants. These strikeout woes are likely to continue in this matchup, with left-handed rookie Jordan Wicks slated to take the mound for the Cubs.
Chicago Cubs
It's been a strong start to Wicks' career, as he's posted a 2-0 record with a 1.80 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through his first two outings. The former first-round pick is shaping up to be a legit guy in Chicago's rotation and could be a huge factor in the final month of this playoff push.
Even though it's a small sample size, his underlying metrics also suggest that these aren't fluky results thus far, as he boasts a .206 xBA and an Average Exit Velocity of 86.1 mph.
Specifically, we're going to back the Kansas State product in the strikeout department.
Over those two aforementioned outings, Wicks boasts a 29.3 K%, 33.3 Whiff% and 31.7 Chase%. While he obviously doesn't qualify for any percentile rankings — since he's only pitched 10 innings in MLB — those strikeout metrics would be among the top-quarter in baseball.
Giants vs. Cubs
Betting Pick & Prediction
There's no reason to believe that Wicks won't keep it going against this lowly San Francisco lineup, at least in the strikeout department.
The left-hander boasts a diverse six-pitch arsenal that keeps opposing hitters on their toes. He particularly relies on a changeup that batters can't seem to figure out.
It also will help Wicks' case in this matchup that not a single member of this Giants' lineup has ever faced the left-hander before, so it may take a few rotations through the batting order to figure him — and that changeup — out.
