A premier NL matchup under the lights of the Bay Area will take place as the Chicago Cubs take on the San Francisco Giants to do battle. It is time to check out our MLB odds series where our Cubs-Giants prediction and pick will be revealed.

Last time out, the Cubbies were bested 3-1 which eventually led to getting swept by the Los Angeles Angels in disheartening fashion. Currently, Chicago is in the midst of a four-game losing streak and is quickly falling behind in contention within the NL Central. Luckily, the Cubs will be sending out All-Star candidate pitcher veteran, Marcus Stroman who is 6-4 with a dazzling 2.39 ERA.

On the other side of things, the San Francisco Giants may have began to hit their stride with four wins in their last five games overall to push their record to 32-30. Although the Giants still trail in the division by five games, they seem to be trending in the right direction. Alas, San Francisco will call upon RHP Anthony DeSclafani who has a losing record of 4-5 but does happen to possess a not-too-shabby 3.97 ERA.

Here are the Cubs-Giants MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cubs-Giants Odds

Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+162)

San Francisco Giants: +1.5 (-196)

Over: 8 (-104)

Under: 8 (-118)

How To Watch Cubs vs. Giants

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 10:15 ET/7:15 PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

Above all else, the main reason for Chicago's struggles of late has been due to a failing offense that has scored only seven runs in their prior four games combined. Without a doubt, the Cubbies have seemingly been swinging with holes in their bats as they have gone ice-cold from the plate.

Simply put, Chicago needs their best hitters to show up in a big way. Alas, look no further than names like Patrick Wisdom and Nico Hoerner to carry the load for the Cubs this Friday. At first glance, Wisdom may be hitting an abysmal .197 on the season, but he does happen to lead Chicago with 14 home runs and 28 RBIs. As for Hoerner, the 26-year-old second-baseman is leading the club with a .278 average and is as reliable as they come near the top of the Cubs lineup. While other hitters in this clubhouse could contribute, this duo needs to be at their best if they want to cool off the red-hot Giants.

Fortunately, the Cubs will cover the spread in this one because of their top hurler in Marcus Stroman. Already a one-time All-Star back in 2019, the 32-year-old Stroman is embarking on yet another All-Star caliber season as he has tossed 15 consecutive innings and seems to be at peak shape heading into this one. If Stroman continues down the path of being nearly impossible to hit off of, then the Cubs should be in pretty good shape.

Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread

While the Giants may appear to have the winning odds on their side, they will still have to prove themselves when out on the diamond. After sweeping the Rockies and defeating their Colorado counterpart for the eleventh time in a row, the Giants now have all of the confidence they need to start racking up the victories in the win column.

During the Giants winning stretch, San Francisco had delivered in the clutch with some critical moments at the plate. Over the past two days, the Giants have received tremendous outings from pinch-hitters. Fast forward to Friday, and the hope is that those same pitch-hitters will help rejuvenate a Giants offense that ranks near the upper half of the league in most hitting statistical categories. Clearly, in going up against a pitcher with the likes of Marcus Stroman, it will be vital for San Fran to stay disciplined at the plate and not swing at anything that the Cubs hurler is trying to bait them into swinging at.

Of course, the main X-Factor in this game against Chicago will fall upon the shoulders of Anthony DeSclefani who possesses a 5-3 record and a 3.84 ERA in 13 career starts versus the Cubbies. At the end of the day, this matchup taking place in the Bay Area may come down to a pitcher's duel in which the 33-year-old veteran will have to have his command in control and his strikeout pitches to a tee. All together, DeSclefani only has a combined four strikeouts in his last two outings and he will most likely need to record more than that to keep the Cubbies offense at bay.

Final Cubs-Giants Prediction & Pick

Without a doubt, both sides are more than desperate for a win next to their names, but it would be wise to wager upon the underdog Giants in this one, especially at their home ballpark.

Final Cubs-Giants Prediction & Pick: Giants +1.5 (-196)