The New York Yankees seek a three-game interleague series sweep when they meet the Chicago Cubs this afternoon at historic Wrigley Field.
Yankees righty Gerrit Cole has been slinging seeds, and my MLB picks for this afternoon's clash expect that trend to continue when the Yankees meet the Cubs on Sunday, September 8.
Yankees vs Cubs prediction
My best bet
Gerrit Cole Over 6.5 strikeouts (+120 at DraftKings)
Best odds available in your region
My analysis
New York Yankees righty Gerrit Cole is still a strikeout machine.
Injuries have slowed the 33-year-old righty, but he’s still twirling his four-pitch combo and getting whiffs. The veteran righty is striking out a tick under 10 per night and he’s whiffed 40 batters across his past 34 frames.
The Yankees ace is coming off one of his best starts of the season, scattering four hits with an earned run while fanning nine against the Rangers. That start marked the fourth time in six starts he’s whiffed at least seven hitters, and he’s in a good spot for another big strikeout day today.
That’s because the Chicago Cubs are also strikeout machines with a 23% strikeout rate against righties. Cole will likely see a minimum of five Cubs bats today with strikeout rates north of 23%, which bodes well for the Yankees hurler.
The Cubs have already whiffed 18 times across 57 at-bats in this series, and righty arms are responsible for 15 of those strikeouts. The Cubs have scored only 15 runs across their past five so we can expect they’ll be pressing to score runs.
That should open the door for Cole, who's been tough. He whiffs a shade over 10 lefties per nine and he’ll see at least three lefties with strikeout rates above 24% and five Cubs hitters that are whiffing more than 23% against right-handed arms.
He’s gotten 17 strikeouts across 64 at-bats against this collection of Cubs, and if that nearly 30% strikeout rate holds, Cole will exceed this number today.
Aaron Judge pick: Goin' yard!
My best bet
Aaron Judge to hit a home run (+170 at BetMGM)
My analysis
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is riding the struggle bus, but those struggles could come to an end today against Cubs righty Jameson Taillon.
Judge leads the majors in home runs (51) but is batting just .150 in September and hasn’t blasted one bomb across his last 10 games with only four extra bases across his previous 10 games.
The Yankees slugger could be in luck because Taillon has served up five of his eight bombs allowed to righties at the Friendly Confines. Right-handed lumber also bats .241 with a .270 BABIP when Taillon pitches at home, and the veteran righty could see some regression.
Ten games is the longest stretch Judge has gone without a bomb this season but he’s 1-3 lifetime with an extra-base hit against Taillon and he’s more than overdue to launch one today.
Yankees vs Cubs same-game parlay (SGP)
Gerrit Cole 7+ strikeouts
Aaron Judge 1+ home runs
Under 9
The pitching for both clubs has been dynamite during this series, the bats have been ice-cold, and we also have the Wrigley winds blowing in today.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Yankees vs Cubs odds
Yankees vs Cubs live odds
Yankees vs Cubs opening odds
- Moneyline: New York -160 | Chicago +135
- Run line: New York -1.5 (-102) | Chicago +1.5 (-118)
- Over/Under: Over 9 | Under 9
Yankees vs Cubs moneyline and Over/Under analysis
- FanDuel is reporting 93% of the bets and 100% of the cash is on the Yankees moneyline (-158).
- DraftKings markets are trading Cubs moneyline at +136 but Chicago is 1-4 across its last five games at Wrigley Field.
- Over/Under markets haven’t budged from the 9-run opener. The Under is 5-0 across the Yankees’ last five interleague bouts while the Under is 4-0 when the Cubs play an interleague series against a team with a winning record.
Yankees vs Cubs trend
Gerrit Cole has cleared 7+ strikeouts in four of his previous six starts. Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Cubs.
Yankees vs Cubs game info
| Location: | Wrigley Field, City, State/Province |
| Date: | Sunday, 9-8-2024 |
| First pitch: | 2:20 p.m. ET |
| TV: | YES, Marquee Sports Network |
| Yankees starting pitcher: | Gerrit Cole (6-3, 3.65 ERA) |
| Cubs starting pitcher: | Jameson Taillon (9-8, 3.66 ERA) |
Yankees vs Cubs latest injuries
Yankees vs Cubs weather
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