Cubs vs. Giants: Prediction, Props & Best Bets (6/13)

The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants are picking right back up where they left off last weekend at Wrigley Field, and so far this West Coast rematch has looked just as tight as the first go-around.

Friday night's series opener at Oracle Park lived up to the billing, but the Cubs took control early and cruised to a 5-1 win. Saturday's tilt brings a sharp turn on the mound, as Chicago hands the ball to a pitcher who has been one of its few bright spots all season.

Ben Brown, who was shifted into the rotation out of necessity after injuries gutted the Cubs' starting staff, takes the ball for Chicago with one of the best ERAs in the MLB. He draws San Francisco's Trevor McDonald, a rookie right-hander who has alternated sharp outings with rough ones in his first taste of full-time starting duty.

Both clubs are hovering right around .500 and looking for any momentum, the Cubs at 36-34 and the Giants at 28-42 entering Saturday. First pitch at Oracle Park is scheduled for 10:05 pm ET.

Cubs vs. Giants betting picks and predictions

Cubs ML (-120)

The pitching matchup is the single most lopsided edge of this series. Brown has been excellent as a starter this season, with an ERA over a full run lower than McDonald's, a sub-1.00 WHIP, and a track record of going deep into games that keeps the Cubs' shaky bullpen on the bench longer.

McDonald, by contrast, has been wildly inconsistent and is coming off a stretch that has seen San Francisco's bullpen, which ranks among the worst in the National League in ERA (4.39), get pulled into games far too early.

Both clubs are limping through underwhelming stretches, and Friday's series opener was much more even. But Saturday flips the pitching equation squarely in Chicago's favor. Getting a clearly superior starter at these odds is worth taking, and the Cubs should be the side here.

Seiya Suzuki to Hit a Home Run (+650)

McDonald has had his moments, including a sterling one-run, seven-frame outing against San Diego in his return to San Francisco, but the broader picture is messier. Over seven starts this year, he's posted a 4.15 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and lost three in a row, including a Milwaukee start where he walked his first two batters and then surrendered a three-run blast to Jake Bauers.

Although he did pick up a win against this Cubs team less than a week ago, we can’t see him replicating that performance.

The metrics confirm those control issues weren't a fluke. McDonald's 40.5% hard-hit rate allowed in 2026 suggests he's catching too much of the plate, which spells trouble against a right-handed slugger like Seiya Suzuki, owner of 94 career homers and a 21-homer campaign in 2024.

Suzuki tends to do his most damage hitting in the middle of the Cubs' order, and while Oracle Park's marine air can knock down balls to the gaps, it's less of a factor on pulled shots, where Suzuki hits most of his homers.

Given McDonald's history of early-inning blowups against a lineup that still packs punch, +650 on Suzuki to go deep looks like value.

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Cubs vs. Giants odds

Chicago Cubs	-120 ML
San Francisco Giants	+100 ML
Run Line	CHI Cubs -1.5
Total	O/U 8.0

Cubs vs. Giants player props

Player home run odds

Rafael Devers (SF Giants)	+475
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHI Cubs)	+500
Ian Happ (CHI Cubs)	+500
Bryce Eldridge (SF Giants)	+500
Casey Schmitt (SF Giants)	+600
Michael Busch (CHI Cubs)	+625

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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.