Yankees vs. Cubs prediction: MLB odds, picks, bets for Friday

After getting taken to the woodshed by the Rangers in back-to-back defeats, the Yankees head to Chicago seeking to regain their lead in the AL East. 

It’s tough to keep an Orioles team that’s No. 1 in slugging percentage at bay when you drop three consecutive series to non-playoff competition.

Throughout those nine games, the Yankees’ relief pitching has been nothing short of a disaster: it yielded 1.84 home runs per nine innings along with a 7.36 ERA. 

In that exact period, the Cubs lead the sport in Wins Above Replacement with 3.9. 

In Chicago’s previous nine contests, it forged a six-game heater ahead of its interleague hosting of the Yankees on Friday.

The Cubs have been paddling against the strong tides of the NL wild-card race, trailing the cutoff by a 4 ½-game margin despite sitting four games above .500.

They’re +1700 long shots to make the postseason at DraftKings, making them a hot team to back with underdog value throughout September. 

The left-handed Jordan Wicks made a strong impression in his first game back from a two-and-a-half month rehabilitation to an oblique strain on Sunday.

He worked through five innings with steady command while the offense blew the doors off of Washington for 14 runs.

As the youngster matures in the rotation, he hasn’t given any reason to doubt him just yet, especially against a flakey Yankees group.

Wicks is a weak strikeout pitcher and doesn’t throw with eye-popping velocity, but he’s best at baiting hitters to chase pitches outside the zone (34.6 chase rate) and in turn drawing weaker contact. 

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Luis Gil will make his return from the injured list to aid a rotation that has crumbled from its spring dominance.

Gil left off on a low note himself with a 9.00 ERA in his last two starts as his potent strikeout rate dipped ahead of the back strain. 

Even if Gil can show up with the best version of his 2024 self, I’d still rather fade the Bombers’ bullpen against the hungry Cubs, who own the second-highest on-base percentage (.345) in the last month. 

The play: Cubs moneyline (+122, Caesars)