Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

The first half of the 2025 MLB season has featured plenty of compelling games, and the action continues on the diamond this weekend with an interleague matchup between the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros on Saturday. 

Both of these teams are at the top of their respective divisions, and Friday’s series opener was a higher-scoring affair, as the Astros picked up a 7-4 victory in a game that featured 18 combined hits, with 10 coming from the home team. 

Saturday’s game is one that features an interesting matchup of starting pitchers against a pair of lineups that should stay hot in this one. 

Will the Cubs bounce back and even the series, or will the Astros rack up a sixth straight win and secure a series victory at home? Let’s get into the odds, plus our expert’s betting picks and predictions for Saturday’s contest.   

Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros betting picks and predictions

Chicago Cubs ML (+100)

Pitching has been a highlight of this Astros team this season, as their starters have gotten better as the season has gone along, while the Houston bullpen holds an ERA of 3.28 on the season. 

However, there isn’t much that separates the pitching matchup in this contest, which is part of why our expert is leaning toward backing the underdog on Saturday.  

Colin Rea will get the ball for the Cubs, while Lance McCullers Jr. gets the start for the Astros. Rea started the season in great form, but has not had great success over his last few outings. 

With that said, the one positive for Rea is that he has only walked three batters in his last 21 innings. This level of control will be great against an Astros team that is batting .225 over the past six games and has only scored 21 runs over that span. Additionally, whenever Rea comes out of the game, the Cubs can have confidence in their bullpen (3.32 ERA) to execute when it matters most.

As for Houston, McCullers has a 4.91 ERA and a 1-2 record on the season. While McCullers has had some good starts this year, the majority of those were against some of the worst hitting teams in baseball.

This can be very problematic against a Cubs lineup that are batting .268 in away games while averaging 5.71 runs per game on the season. 

Additionally, the Cubs have scored 40 runs over their last seven contests, which gives us confidence that their offense can account for any mistakes Rea makes on the mound. 

Ultimately, our expert is backing the Cubs on the money line to even the series and head into the rubber match on Sunday.  

Over 8.0 Total Runs (-110)

This pitching matchup is one that immediately points our expert in the direction of the over, especially since we’ve already had an over in the opening game of this series. 

As mentioned previously, Rea has not been in good form of late. In fact, in his most recent start, he gave up a whopping 11 hits and 7 runs in just 5.1 innings to the Seattle Mariners. 

It certainly helps matters that McCullers is not exactly an ace on the other side as well, with the right-hander holding a 9.19 ERA at home and surrendering 16 earned runs over 15.2 innings at Daikin Park this season.

Both starters could end up struggling in this one, and our expert is projecting strong outings from a pair of solid lineups in this matchup, which also aids our handicap of the over. 

All things considered, the Over 8.5 (-110) is our game totals pick for this interleague matchup on Saturday.

Read more betting picks and predictions for MLB on site.

Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros odds

Chicago Cubs	+100 ML
Houston Astros	-120
Run Line	HOU Astros -1.5
Total	O/U 8.0

Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros player props

Player Home Run Odds

Seiya Suzuki (CHI Cubs)	+350
Kyle Tucker (CHI Cubs)	+400
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHI Cubs)	+475
Christian Walker (HOU Astros)	+350
Jose Altuve (HOU Astros)	+600
Victor Carratini (HOU Astros)	+650

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.