The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants meet Friday in MLB action at Oracle Park. The Chicago Cubs look for a win after winning 5 of their last 6 games. The San Francisco Giants need a win after losing 7 of their last 8 games.

The Chicago Cubs have scored 9 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 4 of their last 6 games. The Cubs have won 4 straight games when scoring 4 or more runs. Ian Happ leads the Cubs with 98 hits and 46 RBI, while Nico Hoerner and Willson Contreras have combined for 168 hits and 70 RBI. Marcus Stroman gets the ball, and he is 2-5 with a 4.38 ERA and 59 strikeouts this season. Stroman is 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA and 14 strikeouts in his career against the Giants.

The San Francisco Giants have scored 10 runs in their last 3 games and 3 or fewer runs in 5 of their last 7 games. The Giants have lost 5 straight games when scoring 3 or fewer runs. Thairo Estrada leads the Giants with 81 hits and 41 RBI, while Wilmer Flores and Mike Yastrzemski have combined for 143 hits and 91 RBI. Alex Cobb gets the ball, and he is 3-4 with a 4.26 ERA and 74 strikeouts this season. This will be Cobb’s second career game against the Cubs. 

The Cubs are 8-21 in their last 29 Friday games and 17-36 in their last 53 games following a loss. The Giants are 1-4 in their last 5 Friday games and 2-6 in their last 8 during game 2 of a series. The under is 4-0 in Cubs last 4 overall. The over is 4-1 in Giants last 5 during game 2 of a series. The Cubs are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in San Francisco.

Marcus Stroman has been better as of late, and he’s been at his best on the road this season, but he’s been disappointing this season overall, and I’m not thrilled to back him in any shape or form. Alex Cobb is a manageable pitcher, and he’s been solid at home, where he has a 3.02 ERA and .238 allowed batting average. The Giants are going to struggle forever, and maybe last night’s win gets them back on track. I’ll lay the cheap price with the home team.