The San Francisco Giants host the Chicago Cubs on August 27, 2025. First pitch from Oracle Park is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on NBCS-BA.
Find my MLB betting preview and Cubs vs Giants prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
My Cubs vs Giants Prediction
- Cubs vs Giants picks: Cubs First Five -0.5 (+105) | Play to -105
My Cubs vs Giants best bet is on Chicago to cover the spread in the first five innings. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Cubs vs Giants Odds
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +125 | 8.5 -110o / -110u | -130 |
| Giants Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -150 | 8.5 -110o / -110u | +110 |
Cubs vs Giants Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Colin Rea (CHC) | Stat | LHP Carson Whisenhunt (SFG) |
|---|---|---|
| 10-5 | W-L | 1-1 |
| 0.8 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | -0.3 |
| 3.96 / 4.82 | ERA /xERA | 4.91 / 6.65 |
| 4.62 / 4.57 | FIP / xFIP | 6.89 / 5.34 |
| 1.29 | WHIP | 1.42 |
| 10.3% | K-BB% | 5.0% |
| 39.0% | GB% | 46.4% |
| 95 | Stuff+ | 90 |
| 100 | Location+ | 87 |
Kenny Ducey’s Cubs vs Giants Preview
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
Poor old Colin Rea. Sounded sad on the radio, moved a million hearts in mono. Nobody knows the actual lyrics to Come On Eileen, and nobody really knows how Colin Rea has continued to give the Cubs valuable innings at 35 years old.
Well, that's what we're paid to do here, and I'll give you the easy answer: defense. The Cubs rank 10th in Outs Above Average in the infield, and third in the outfield — which is where Rea's allowed the bulk of his contact as a fly-ball pitcher.
The veteran owns some pretty poor marks by the predictive metrics with a .277 Expected Batting Average and .462 Expected Slugging against him, but his defense has stolen away many of those expected hits and his solid 7.1% walk rate has kept runners off the bases.
Now, Rea has allowed a whopping 19 home runs this season, but with the low walk rate eight of those have been solo shots. He's also allowed 14 of those at home, giving up just five in 49 2/3 innings away from Chicago. Though his WHIP is exactly the same in both splits, it's clear that his biggest weakness is hidden on the road — and that'll be especially true playing in San Francisco.
San Francisco Giants Betting Preview
Carson Whisenhunt is the harder of the two to handicap here, given he's only pitched 18 1/3 innings at the big-league level, shuttling between Triple-A Sacramento and San Francisco. What we've seen is a mixed bag; the lefty has owned a poor 10:7 K:BB in the major-leagues, and even though things improved somewhat against a dangerous Milwaukee Brewers team, against whom he surrendered just two runs on four hits over four, he walked two batters ��� giving him at least two in every start.
Prior to that one, he walked four and allowed a homer over 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball down on the farm, and while he struck out six that's a bit of an outlier for Whisenhunt. The 24-year-old owns just a 21.2% strikeout rate down in Triple-A this year with a very low whiff rate and a high chase rate, so it's pretty clear he's fishing for weak contact.
Whisenhunt has been able to get it, too, with a friendly .295 xwOBA in his 19 starts for Sacramento, and he's also walked just 7.4% of the batters he's faced. It's true he's been pitching in the Pacific Coast League, where a 4.37 ERA would constitute a good one, but it's equally as important to recognize how hard it is for young pitchers to translate their K:BB ratios to the big-league level right away.
The left-hander is clearly not a control expert, especially against big-league competition, and he's also a fly-ball pitcher who will be hoping to keep the ball in the yard. His home park will help him with the latter, but his defense certainly won't be given they sit 28th in Outs Above Average in the outfield.
Cubs vs Giants Prediction, Betting Analysis
Chicago has been one of the most patient teams in the league this season, and despite a recent slump at the plate, that remains true. It's run the sixth-worst wRC+ over the last two weeks, but is still walking at a robust 9.3% clip with a low 21.1% strikeout rate. The Cubs aren't hitting for much power right now, but the bigger story has been their .216 average over the span, considering they're more contact-oriented.
Well, Whisenhunt should do well to help them out here with some volatile control, and when runners do get on base, I'm confident that the Cubs will come up with some hits to cash them in on account of the youngster's very hittable profile. Chicago ranks seventh in wRC+ to lefties this year, and its .319 xBA against sinkers from lefties is the best in the league.
Whisenhunt throws that pitch more than anything, and it's his lowest-graded pitch by the stuff metrics right now. His slider represents his best chance at dealing with the Cubs, but he's hardly thrown it — and he certainly doesn't project to get into many counts where he can use it.
I think you have to believe in Rea and this Cubs defense, which should work in chorus with this pitcher's park to swallow up some fly balls and turn them into outs, while remaining skeptical of a young and flawed prospect.
Pick: Cubs First Five -0.5 (+105) | Play to -105
Moneyline
I don't like the moneyline for tonight's game.
Run Line (Spread)
I see value on Chicago to cover the spread in the first five innings.
Over/Under
I'm also staying away from game totals.
