Giants vs. Cubs Prediction, Picks at Wrigley Field – Friday, June 5

June 5, 2026

MLB
AP Photo/Erin Hooley

The first pitch of the Friday afternoon MLB game between the San Francisco Giants (25-38) and the Chicago Cubs (33-30) is set for 2:20 p.m. ET on June 5 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are strong home favorites vs. the Giants, returning a 1.56x payout to win, via PrizePicks.

The Giants and Cubs begin a three-game National League series, with both teams struggling at the moment. The Giants could be beyond saving, but the Cubs are in the thick of Wild Card contention, despite their slump.

Below, we'll break down our Giants vs. Cubs prediction and picks for Friday’s MLB matchup, including the winner, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

Make your Giants vs. Cubs prediction on PrizePicks for Friday’s game

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Giants vs. Cubs Prediction, Winner Payout, Over/Under – Friday, June 5

Giants SP Robbie Ray will get the start at Wrigley Field today, with a 4.66 xFIP across 12 starts and 62.2 IP in 2026. However, Ray hasn’t looked like the pitcher who won the American League Cy Young Award in 2021. 

After an excellent beginning to the season with a 2.70 ERA in his first 6 starts, he’s regressed with a 6.44 ERA in his last 6 starts, including one outing where he allowed 9 earned runs, and another where he allowed 7 walks. 

Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey seems to be making all of the wrong moves. Last season’s trade for 1B Rafael Devers doesn’t seem to be paying off, as he has just a .238 BA, 765 OPS, and 1.9 WAR in 152 games. 

Posey’s biggest gamble was hiring former University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello for his first job in professional baseball. That also hasn’t gone as expected, with San Francisco having the second-worst record in the league, sitting 15.5 games out of first place in the National League West.

The Cubs will counter with 26-year-old righty SP Ben Brown, who has a 3.03 xFIP across 5 starts and 51.2 IP in 2026. One of the smartest moves the Cubs have made this season is moving Brown to the starting rotation. 

Brown has excelled in the role with a 1.73 ERA and 1.79 FIP in 5 starts, giving up just 5 runs across them. He keeps it very simple, throwing only four pitches, which is highlighted by a knuckle curve that produces a 47.4% whiff rate.

Whatever is happening with the Cubs seems to be the biggest mystery of the season. About a month ago, there was debate over whether the Cubs were the best team in the league after they put together two separate 10-game winning streaks. Over the last few weeks, they look like one of the worst teams in baseball. 

Since May 9, Chicago has a 6-18 record, ranks 29th in wOBA (.281) and 28th in xERA (4.98). The good news is they are still in contention, being only 5.5 games out of first in the NL Central and 0.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot.

Last night, the Cubs pulled off a comeback vs. the Athletics, after trailing 6-1, winning 7-6 in the ninth inning. Could that be the spark they need to get back on track?

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Giants vs. Cubs Winner, Over/Under, Payouts – Friday, June 5

The Cubs enter Friday’s game as home favorites, returning a 1.56x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Here are the full payouts for the Giants vs. Cubs game on PrizePicks.

  • Spread: Cubs -1.5 (2.08x payout)
  • Over/Under: 10.5 (1.78x payout on Over)
  • Game Winner Payout: Giants 2.32x | Cubs 1.56x

Play the Giants vs. Cubs spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 35 states!

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.


Giants vs. Cubs Prediction on Over/Under for Friday’s Game

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Giants vs. Cubs prediction on the run total for Friday, June 5.

Lock in your Giants vs. Cubs prediction on the over/under on PrizePicks now!

Unless otherwise noted, data used in this article is via Baseball Savant or FanGraphs.

  • Some of the top hitters on the Cubs have struggled against Ray, including 3B Alex Bregman, who is 2-for-11, and LF Ian Happ, who is 0-for-4.
  • Chicago has also struggled against left-handed pitchers recently, which could benefit Ray. Since May 9, the Cubs rank last in the league in wOBA (.242) and wRC+ (52) against southpaws.
  • Brown does well at getting hitters to swing at pitches outside of the strike zone, as his 32.8% chase rate ranks in the 71st percentile. The Giants are at a significant disadvantage, as their 32.9% chase rate ranks 26th in the league.
  • Brown is allowing a .217 wOBA that ranks him third in the league among pitchers with at least 50 IP. The Giants rank 26th in MLB with a .309 wOBA.
  • According to Statcast ballpark factors, Wrigley Field has not been a hitter-friendly ballpark, ranking 16th in park factor for runs (96) and last in doubles (70).
  • Wrigley Field may see some rain during Friday’s game, which may hamper hitters; however, there is also expected to be 10+ mph winds blowing out, a significant factor at Wrigley, projected to increase home-run hitting by 48%, per Ballpark Pal.
Make your Giants vs. Cubs prediction on over/under on PrizePicks

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Giants vs. Cubs Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks – 6/5/26

Here are the top Giants vs. Cubs picks to target on PrizePicks for Friday, June 5, in the afternoon game from Wrigley Field. Today’s MLB picks for PrizePicks include Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and Giants’ Luis Arraez.

Cubs CF Pete Crow-Armstrong vs. Giants Projection: 7.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

  • After his error in center field on a routine fly ball handed the Athletics three runs on Thursday, PCA hit a walk-off, two-out single to win Thursday’s game.
  • Crow-Armstrong is one of the rare Cubs who’s been hot recently, with a .359 BA and a 1.098 OPS since May 26.
  • In just a small sample size, Crow-Armstrong is 1-for-2 with 1 double against Ray.
  • The left-handed-hitting Cubs’ center fielder is excellent against lefty pitchers this season. He has a .275 BA and a .788 OPS against southpaws compared to a .223 BA and .690 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
  • Crow-Armstrong’s 50.6% hard-hit rate that ranks in the 90th percentile could be a problem for Ray, who allows a 37.4% hard-hit rate that ranks in the 59th percentile.
Add Pete Crow-Armstrong to your PrizePicks Lineup now

Giants 2B Luis Arraez vs. Cubs Projection: 5.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

  • The three-time batting title winner remains one of the best contact hitters in baseball, ranking in the 94th percentile with a .295 xBA with the lowest strikeout rate in the league at 4.2%.
  • Arraez is the king of consistency and has not gone hitless in back-to-back games this season.
  • While Brown has a solid 28.2% whiff rate that ranks in the 72nd percentile, it could be a challenge to get Arraez to swing and miss, as his 8.5% whiff rate is one of the best in MLB, ranking in the 100th percentile.
  • Brown throws the four seamer and knuckle curve on a combined 74.1% of his pitches. Arraez excels against both with a .362 wOBA against the four seamer and a .772 wOBA against the knuckle curve.
Add Luis Arraez to your PrizePicks Lineup now

Make Your Giants vs. Cubs Prediction on PrizePicks

On Friday afternoon from Wrigley Field, the Cubs and Giants begin a three-game series with both trending in the wrong direction. San Francisco has one of the worst records in MLB and has a huge hill to climb, but Chicago is still in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. 

Don’t wait until the first pitch at 2:20 p.m. ET — make your Giants vs. Cubs picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.

Pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.

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John is a graduate from Quinnipiac University with a Master's Degree in Sports Journalism. With almost 15 years working in radio, TV and blogs, it includes stops at ESPN, NBC Sports, and Audacy. Along with being an avid sports fan, he is into fitness and cooking.