The Chicago Cubs could be very short-handed when the take the field for a series opener in San Francisco on Thursday night as the Cubs are expected to trade at least a few everyday players and a couple of relievers ahead of the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline. The Giants are favored on the MLB odds.

How to Bet Cubs at Giants MLB Odds & TV Info

• When: Thursday, 9:45 PM ET
• Where: Oracle Park
• Probable pitchers (away/home): Justin Steele/Alex Wood
• TV: MLB Extra Innings
• Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
• Opening MLB Lines: Giants -130, Cubs +120 (total 8)

Why Bet on Chicago?

There is no question the Cubs are going to trade All-Star outfielder Ian Happ and catcher Willson Contreras, it’s just a matter of to where and when it actually happens. Contreras, 30, has been in the organization since he was 16 and is set to become a free agent at year’s end. One of the top offensive catchers in baseball this season, Contreras is one of the last remaining members of the 2016 World Series-winning team, along with Kyle Hendricks and Jason Heyward. He said he has come to terms with leaving.

“Getting traded to a team that is competing is good,” he said. “If the Cubs get a good package for me to make this team better, they’re going to do it.”

Contreras has gone 6-for-18 (.333) with a hit in five straight games after going 1-for-30 in his previous seven games. The Cubs enter this series on an unlikely six-game winning streak after sweeping a quick two-game series at home vs. Pittsburgh on Tuesday, 4-2. That was almost surely the final home game as Cubs for Contreras and Happ. Closer David Robertson wasn’t used for the second consecutive game after earning a win and save Saturday and Sunday at Philadelphia. Robertson is going to be traded as well. The Cubs have (40-57) have their best winning streak since taking seven in a row last Aug. 31-Sept. 6.

Chicago has won five-straight games out of the All-Star break for the first time since 2017 (six). The Cubs’ starting pitchers have tossed at least 6.0 innings in four straight games, their longest stretch since going four-straight from Sept. 18-21, 2020. Chicago pitchers have posted a 1.30 ERA (11 ER/76.0 IP) in the team’s last eight games, holding the opponent to two-or-fewer earned runs in each game.

It’s lefty Justin Steele on the mound here. Steele pitched five innings of one-run ball in a win over the Phillies last Friday. The only damage was Kyle Schwarber’s homer to lead off the first. Steele walked four batters afterwards and allowed three more hits, but the Phillies failed to push any runs across. The victory moved Steele to 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA. He’s only a couple of starts away from overtaking his career high for innings (99 in 2017).

This will be Steele’s second career start against San Francisco. He took the loss in his first outing against them last season, allowing five runs on a career high 10 hits September 12, 2021. He owns a 1-2 record with a 3.50 ERA (14 ER/36.0 IP) in eight-career games (seven starts) against National League West opposition.

Why Bet on San Francisco?

The Giants won the most games in baseball this season but are nowhere near the same team in 2022 and may be sellers ahead of the Trade Deadline. On Tuesday for the first time since April 6, 2021, the Giants slipped under the .500 mark. SF had been the only team in baseball who had not had a losing record at any point in that span from April 7, 2021 until July 25, 2022.  After records of 14-7 in April, 13-14 in May and 13-13 in June, the Giants are just 9-15 in July.

The team has three starters on the injured list in catcher Curt Casali, third baseman Evan Longoria and shortstop Brandon Crawford. Casali (oblique) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday. Longoria has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain and should be able to make it back around mid-August if his rehab goes well. Crawford went on the injured list earlier this month with right knee inflammation and won’t be back this weekend.

It’s Alex Wood on the mound Thursday. Wood (6-8) took the loss last Saturday versus the Dodgers. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts in four-plus innings. Wood needed 97 pitches (63 strikes) to complete his four frames, and he was relieved by Yunior Marte after issuing a leadoff walk to Gavin Lux in the fifth. Both runs against Wood came on solo home runs by Mookie Betts and Trea Turner in the third inning.

In his last four outings, Wood has completed five innings only twice, though he has 25 strikeouts across 20.2 innings in that span. The southpaw owns a 4.21 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 96:23 K:BB across 94 innings. Wood is 2-3 with a 3.95 ERA in eight home starts this year.

San Francisco is looking to end a seven-game losing streak in series openers but is 9-3 in its past 12 at home vs. the Cubs.

Expert Prediction

• Giants 5, Cubs 3

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