Chicago (48-34) vs Houston (49-33)
June 28, 2025 at 07:15 PM EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Houston +1.5 — Over/Under: +8.5
In this article, we will formulate a Cubs vs Astros prediction for this MLB game on Saturday, June 28, at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
The Chicago Cubs (48-34, 23-19 Away) beat the St. Louis Cardinals in back-to-back games without allowing a single run in the process to earn a split in the previous series, but they opened the current one with a 7-4 defeat to the Houston Astros. Matt Shaw had the best offensive display of his young career as he led the team with three RBI, while Cade Horton took the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and four walks in 4.0 innings.
This year, the Cubs average 5.38 runs per game (2nd in the MLB) on a .255/.325/.444 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Cubs’ staff has a 3.89 ERA (15th) and 1.25 WHIP (14th). Seiya Suzuki leads the Cubs with a .259 batting average, 21 home runs, and 67 RBI this season.
The projected starting pitcher for the Cubs is Colin Rea, who is 4-3 in 12 starts this season, with a 4.42 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 73.1 innings.
Houston Astros Betting Preview
The Houston Astros (49-33, 31-13 Home) are without a loss in the last ten series and are coming from a series sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. Houston is now on a five-game winning streak after beating the Cubs 7-4 in Game 1 of this series on Friday. Cam Smith and Yainer Diaz led the offense with three RBI apiece, while Brandon Walter got the win after allowing one run on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks across 6.0 innings of work.
This season, the Astros average 4.21 runs per game (20th in the MLB) on a .256/.322/.400 triple-slash. When it comes to pitching, the Astros’ staff has a 3.41 ERA (5th) and 1.14 WHIP (1st). Isaac Paredes leads the Astros with a .250 batting average, 16 home runs, and 45 RBI this season.
Lance McCullers Jr. will take the mound for the Astros on Saturday. The 31-year-old right-hander has a 1-2 record in seven starts this year with a 4.91 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 29.1 innings.
Total Runs Facts
Twelve of the Cubs’ last 13 games against AL West opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
Each of the last four games between the Cubs and Astros at Daikin Park have gone OVER the total runs line.
The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in 10 of the last 11 games between the Cubs and Astros.
The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cubs’ last four night games against American League opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
The Astros rank 2nd in the league for hits allowed this season (585).
The Astros rank 2nd in the league for runs allowed this season (292).
The Cubs rank 2nd in the league for RBIs this season (432).
The Cubs rank 3rd in the league for doubles this season (144).
Cubs vs Astros Prediction
The Astros won six of the previous ten H2H encounters, but the Cubs were better in three of the last four. Seven of Chicago’s last ten games went Over, which was the case in six of Houston’s last ten. I am going with Over in this one because of the pitching matchup. Colin Rea allowed 13 runs in his previous three starts, while he surrendered multiple runs in five of his last six starts. Lance McCullers Jr., on the other hand, is coming back from an injury and is not going to have an easy job against the second-best offense in the MLB. McCullers is not pitching very well this season, and I am backing the Cubs to get to him early on. Go with Over.