Yankees vs. Cubs Prediction, MLB Picks for Friday, July 31

The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs will get a three-game series underway on Friday, July 31 at 2:20 p.m. ET. Ahead of the first game of the series, the Cubs are decently favored at home with a 1.61x payout to secure a victory via PrizePicks Team Picks.

The Yankees just lost 2-1 to the Chicago White Sox in extra innings, while the Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 in extras on Thursday.

Below, we'll break down our Yankees vs. Cubs prediction and picks for Friday’s MLB contest, including the run line, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

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Yankees vs. Cubs Prediction, Winner Payout, Over/Under – Friday, July 31

For the series opener, it will be Yankees SP Will Warren (3.89 xFIP across 102.0 IP) and Cubs SP Shota Imanaga (3.93 xFIP across 121.0 IP) squaring off on the mound.

Despite Warren having a 3.89 xFIP, his 4.41 ERA and 30th percentile xERA (4.59) leave a lot to be desired, per Baseball Savant. Warren also ranks in the 18th percentile in xBA (.266), and he’s failed to pitch into the sixth inning in nine consecutive starts.

On the other hand, Imanaga resides in the 65th percentile in xERA (3.64), which isn’t too far off his actual ERA (3.72). The biggest concerns for Imanaga — even against a Yankees lineup sans RF Aaron Judge — are that he has a 34th percentile ground ball rate (39.5%) and 22nd percentile barrel rate (9.4%).

Speaking of New York without Judge, they’ve certainly felt the absence of their All-Star slugger, as they’ve tallied the fifth-worst wRC+ (85) and highest strikeout rate (27.2%) over the last 39 days, per FanGraphs.

It’s been a different 30-day sample for Chicago, which has the second-best wRC+ (122), second-best wOBA (.348), and fifth-best ISO (.181) in that span.

Yankees vs. Cubs Winner Payout, Over/Under – Friday, July 31

The Cubs enter Friday’s game as a home favorite against the Yankees, returning a 1.61x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

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

Make your Yankees vs. Cubs prediction on spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 36 states!

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

Yankees vs. Cubs Prediction on Winner – 7/31/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Yankees vs. Cubs prediction on the winner for Friday, July 31.

• In the same 30-day span from above, the Yankees have the third-worst wRC+ (74), third-worst wOBA (.274), eighth-worst ISO (.131), and second-highest strikeout rate (27.8%) against left-handed pitchers.
• Warren has given up 5 ER or more in three of his last six starts.
• Additionally, Warren is posting a 4.85 xFIP and 1.57 WHIP on the road, compared to a 2.78 xFIP and 1.23 WHIP at home in 2026.
• Imanaga has surrendered 2 or fewer ER in five straight starts.
• On top of that, Imanaga has a 3.82 xFIP at home and a 4.06 xFIP on the road.
• The Cubs’ hitters also enjoy playing at Wrigley Field, as they are notching the best wRC+ (121), third-best wOBA (.344), and 10th-best ISO (.172) at home.

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Yankees vs. Cubs Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 7/31/26

Here are the top Yankees vs. Cubs picks to target on Friday, July 31. Today’s MLB picks for PrizePicks include Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jose Caballero.

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

• Crow-Armstrong is registering a 168 wRC+, .416 wOBA, and .263 ISO at home this season.
• Plus, Crow-Armstrong has a 156 wRC+, .400 wOBA, and .294 ISO against right-handed pitchers.
• Across his last 10 games, Crow-Armstrong has 4 multi-hit performances, 3 HRs, 10 RBI, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 1 SB, and 6 runs.
• Warren is recording a 4.45 xFIP, 1.45 WHIP, and 1.57 HR/9 to lefties versus a 3.15 xFIP, 1.37 WHIP, and 1.01 HR/9 to righties.

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Yankees SS Jose Caballero vs. Cubs: 3.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

• Caballero has gone hitless in six of his last nine games where he’s logged at least 3 ABs.
• Against lefties, Caballero has an 81 wRC+, .285 wOBA, and 31.0% strikeout rate.
• Since the start of July, Caballero owns just a 56 wRC+, .248 wOBA, and 28.6% K-rate.
• At the same time, Imanaga has a 3.79 xFIP and 0.79 HR/9.

Add Jose Caballero to your PrizePicks Lineup now.

Make Yankees vs. Cubs Picks on PrizePicks

The Yankees and Cubs will kick things off across MLB on Friday with a 2:20 start time. Will Chicago come away with a win with Imanaga getting the nod on the bump at Wrigley Field?

Don’t wait until the first pitch happens — make your Yankees 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 36 states.

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