The Chicago Cubs host the Chicago White Sox on August 18, 2026. First pitch from Wrigley Field is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on MARQ.
The Cubs are favored by -171 on the moneyline and by +128 on the run line. The White Sox are +141 on the moneyline and -155 on the run line. The total is set at 8.5 runs.
Find my MLB picks and White Sox vs Cubs prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
White Sox vs Cubs Prediction
- White Sox vs Cubs Picks: Gausman 6+ Strikeouts / Cubs Moneyline
My White Sox vs Cubs best bet is a SGP that includes a starting pitcher prop and a moneyline pick. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
White Sox vs Cubs Odds
| White Sox Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -155 | 8.5 -113o / -107u | +150 |
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +128 | 8.5 -113o / -107u | -161 |
- White Sox vs Cubs moneyline: White Sox +150, Cubs -161
- White Sox vs Cubs over/under: 8.5 (-113 / -107)
- White Sox vs Cubs spread: White Sox +1.5 (-155), Cubs -1.5 (+128)
White Sox vs Cubs Probable Pitchers
| LHP Bryan Hudson (CHW) | Stat | RHP Kevin Gausman (CHC) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | W-L | 6-11 |
| 1.3 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 2.8 |
| 3.14 / 3.14 | ERA / xERA | 4.53 / 3.90 |
| 2.87 / 3.95 | FIP / xFIP | 3.53 / 3.81 |
| 15.1% | K-BB% | 17.0% |
| 41.5% | GB% | 37.5% |
| .322 | BABIP | .310 |
| 107 | Stuff+ | 98 |
| 93 | Location+ | 108 |
White Sox vs Cubs MLB Betting Preview
Chicago White Sox Betting Preview
Here's a new name for us. Bryan Hudson will start the game for the White Sox. He's a reliever who has maxed out at 33 pitches this year and has not thrown more than one inning since July 19th. A different opener may be named as we lead up to game time, but it will be a bullpen game for the White Sox regardless.
The White Sox bullpen has four lefties in it (including Hudson), so they're in a good place to mix-and-match and find decent matchups. Grant Taylor is a stud, and they have a few other guys who can get the job done in this bullpen.
I have been curious about these bullpen games. How does run scoring compare in normal games to how it goes in bullpen games? Going back to 2021, MLB teams average 4.46 runs per game. When they are facing an opener, that number goes up to 4.76. That's 7% more runs. So a small move upward in favor of the offense.
So it's a good thing for the Cubs. The downside is that it makes it tougher to pick particular hitters to bet on. Pete Crow-Armstrong is very likely to see a couple of different lefties in this one, for example. So I prefer to focus more on the team betting lines than the player lines in spots like the one the Cubs are seeing tonight.
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
For the Cubbies, it's Kevin Gausman making another start in blue. It hasn't gone well for the Cubs' big trade deadline acquisition. In two starts, he's allowed 11 hits and 8 runs on an 11:2 K:BB. That's a 6.17 ERA, but a strong 1.11 WHIP. He has increased splitter usage since joining the Cubs. Before the trade, he had thrown about 37% splitters.
With the Cubs, it's up to 50%. That reliably turns into more whiffs for Gausman. His splitter has a 20.2% SwStr% in these last two starts, right in line with what the pitch has done this season (20.4% SwStr%). That could just be about the matchups he's seen these last two, or it could be a conscious move by the Cubs to have him throw that pitch more often to get away from his fastball a bit.
It's a pretty good strikeout matchup for Gausman. The projected White Sox lineup has a 26.3% K%. Murakami and Montgomery do a lot of damage, but they strike out a lot between homers. Montgomery has hit a rough patch. He's hitting .192/.248/.326 since July 1st (157 PAs). The K% is up to 36%, and his walk rate has fallen to 6.4%. The league may have found something on him, and he's going through one of the worst cold streaks of his young career.
The White Sox lineup as a whole has been struggling. Since that July 1st cutoff, they're hitting just .229/.303/.397 with a 24.2% K% and an 8.4% BB%. Gausman has found a good time to square off with the South Siders, and I think he's going to right the ship here for his new team.
White Sox vs Cubs Pick, Betting Analysis
Here's what my projection model says for Gausman: 5.2 IP, 5.1 H, 2.5 ER, 5.95 K, 2.1 BB. That's a pretty healthy strikeout projection for him, a bit higher than my season average K projection on Gausman. Murakami and Montgomery are dangerous hitters, but they typically hand over at least a couple of strikeouts.
The Cubs have a good mixture of righties and lefties in their lineup, so they should be able to give the White Sox bullpen a good amount of trouble no matter who's in there. They could also see Erick Fedde for a few innings, which would be a big boost to the Cubs lineup.
I'm riding the Cubs at home, and I'm trusting the model on a good strikeout day from Gausman. The Cubs are the better team in Chicago, and they'll show it tonight.
Pick: Gausman 6+ Strikeouts (-175), Cubs Moneyline (-161)
That parlays to +124 on DraftKings.
