Cubs vs White Sox Prediction, Picks, Odds
Cody Bellinger has been doing some serious damage at the plate in the month of July and our MLB betting picks expect that to continue against Michael Kopech and the ChiSox tonight — find out why below.
The Crosstown Classic series renews tonight as the Chicago Cubs and Kyle Hendricks travel to the Southside and open up a quick two-game set vs. Michael Kopech and the Chicago White Sox as a slight -115 road favorite.
With more books offering unique offensive props and Cody Bellinger getting hits, runs, and RBI at a freaky pace this month, should bettors be looking at a possible first-time market for value when trying to profit from the insane tear he's on?
Find out where my best bets lie in our MLB picks and predictions for Cubs vs. White Sox for Tuesday, July 25.
Cubs vs White Sox odds
Cubs vs White Sox predictions
Cody Bellinger is on his way to winning NL Player of the Month in July and is swinging the bat like a man who does not want to be traded. He's willing his team into a playoff race and stuffing the box score nightly.
Since the All-Star break, the Chicago Cubs outfielder is hitting .436 with five homers and 15 RBI over 10 games and .454 with a 1.270 OPS in July. He also has just seven strikeouts and five walks over those 80 at-bats and has collected 2+ bases in 13 of those 18 games — all multi-hit games.
Cody Bellinger since June 24:
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) July 23, 2023
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He’s also averaging more than an RBI per game this month and has scored 18 times over 19 July games. With talent in front of him and Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki hitting behind him, the potential for hits, runs, and RBI is very high for the Chicago outfielder.
BetMGM currently has his line at -115 for the Over 1.5 with some other books as short as -137. It’s not a market every book has but I feel it's the best prop to take advantage of Bellinger’s recent play and opportunities within the lineup.
Some other markets that are showing value on Bellinger are his 2+ bases at bet365 for +150, his Over 0.5 runs at +110 or better (widely available), his Over 0.5 HR (+475 at bet365), and his Over 0.5 RBI with the best price at bet365 at +150.
With what is behind and in front of him in this lineup coupled with the walk issues from Michael Kopech, this Over 1.5 could be cashed in the top of the first inning tonight. THE BAT is projecting 0.91 hits, 0.66 runs, and 0.74 RBI for a total of 2.31.
My best bet: Cody Bellinger Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-115 at BetMGM)
Cubs vs White Sox same-game parlay
Cubs ML (-115)
Cody Bellinger Over 0.5 home runs (+475)
Kyle Hendricks Under 18.5 outs (-180)
The +475 for a Belly bomb is the best price at bet365 so I'm taking advantage of that. Although there is some correlation priced into the pair of the homer and the Cubs ML, adding the Hendricks Under 18.5 negates plenty of that as the Under outs and CHC ML are perceived as correlated.
However, getting the other side of the key number of 18 is huge here as the Chicago pitcher projects for just 16.3 outs and is not a long-leashed pitcher who has gone Over this number in three of his 11 starts. The Chicago bullpen is also rested after a day off yesterday.
Bellinger has seven long balls over his last 14 games and faces Kopech who sits in the Top 15 in home runs allowed in all of baseball.
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Cubs vs White Sox moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Cubs closed up a 10-game homestand following the break, taking three straight games from the Cardinals and finishing 6-4 SU. They enter today seven games back from the Brewers for the division lead and five games back from the final Wild Card spot.
The Cubs arrow is pointing up and they might not be sellers ahead of the deadline and bettors are taking notice as this line opened as a pick ‘em before bettors moved it to as short as -120.
It’s easy to see the love for the Cubs here.
The offense has been winning them games as the return of Dansby Swanson is huge for the lineup while Cody Bellinger is the best hitter in baseball since the break, hitting .436 with five homers and 15 RBI in the second half.
They’ll compete against a struggling White Sox lineup that gets easy to navigate in the lower third and sported three hitters with a sub-.570 OPS on Sunday.
Chicago starter Michael Kopech has been insanely inconsistent and his walk issues are staggering. He has a 5/8 K:BB rate since the All-Star break across two starts and the Cubs take a lot of pitches while ranking in the Top 4 in BB% on the season. Only Blake Snell has allowed more walks than Kopech.
Kyle Hendricks is not a Top-25 pitcher in baseball but his command could be the difference today, especially vs. a White Sox offense that went 3-for-23 with RISP over the weekend. Hendricks has given up just one free pass over his last five starts while also keeping the ball in the park at a much better rate than Kopech.
The Cubs have a slight bullpen edge as the Sox’s pen ranks 25th in ERA. Both teams were off yesterday so all arms are available but there could be some late runs scored in this game with both pens ranking outside the Top 15 in most metrics.
The total opened at 9 and has hit 9.5 in some places as of noon today. Kopech’s inconsistencies create a large variance in runs, but his high walk rate is bankable in this matchup. With 9-mph winds blowing in, I’m off this total — even at Over 9 at -120 or worse. I think the better probability is with Hendricks and the Cubs at -109 (Kambi books and ).
This is a tough matchup for Kopech in terms of efficiency as Chicago should exploit his walk issues while the starter gives way to a Bottom-5 bullpen that might need to eat 12 outs.
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Trend to know
The Cubs have cashed the moneyline in 22 of their last 37 games (+5.95 units / 13% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. White Sox
Cubs vs White Sox game info
Starting pitchers
Kyle Hendricks (3-4, 3.38 ERA): Hendricks will be making his 12th start of the year and third since the break. He enters with a 42/10 K:BB rate over 64 innings and eight home runs allowed (six of those in his last three starts). His groundball rate is up this season and back to his career averages after a dip in 2022 and he’s allowed just one walk over his last 29 1/3 innings — five starts. The Cubs are 7-4 SU when he starts and THE BAT is projecting 89 pitches, 16.3 outs, 3.94 strikeouts, and 3.18 earned runs.
Michael Kopech (4-8, 4.29 ERA): Kopech has been a hard pitcher to predict game to game. He has a 102/57 K:BB ratio over 92+ innings this year but the command issues are problematic while the 19 home runs allowed rank in the Top 15 in baseball. In his two starts since the All-Star break, he’s allowed five runs over 6+ innings with a terrible 5/8 K:BB ratio. He throws fewer than 60% of his pitches for strikes and the White Sox are 7-11 SU when he starts. THE BAT is projecting 94 pitches, 15.8 outs, 5.61 strikeouts, and 3.03 earned runs.
