Astros vs. Cubs: 2026 MLB Prediction, Odds, and Picks for Friday, May 22

The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros aim to bounce back from challenging starts to the week when they face off in a Friday matinee to being a three-game interleague series. The Cubs (29-21) just got swept at home by the rival Brewers and have lost eight of 10 to fall out of first place in the rugged NL Central. The Astros (20-31) have dropped three of four and their pitching staff has the highest combined ERA in baseball. Jameson Taillon (2-3, 4.94) gets the ball for the homestanding Cubs, while Houston counters with Spencer Arrighetti (5-1, 1.50 ERA).

First pitch from Wrigley Field in Chicago is set for 2:20 p.m. ET. Chicago is a -141 favorite on the money line (risk $141 to win $100) in the latest Astros vs. Cubs odds, with Houston priced at +120 (risk $100 to win $120). The over/under is 7. Before making any Cubs vs. Astros picks, be sure to see the Astros vs. Cubs predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model .

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, and enters Week 9 of the MLB season on a red-hot 12-1 run on all top-rated MLB picks. It also excelled at making home run prop picks in 2025, returning nearly 30 units of profit. Anybody following its  MLB betting  picks at  sportsbooks  and on  betting sites  could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Astros vs. Cubs and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions.  You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks . Here are several  MLB odds  and betting lines for Astros vs. Cubs:

Astros vs. Cubs money line

Cubs -141, Astros +120

Astros vs. Cubs over/under

7 runs

Astros vs. Cubs run line

Cubs -1.5 (+158)

Astros vs. Cubs picks

See picks at SportsLine

Astros vs. Cubs streaming

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Top Astros vs. Cubs predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Cubs vs. Astros, the model is going Over 7 combined runs. For over/under betting , the Over hasn't hit in six straight, as the offense has managed only 12 runs in that span. The Over had hit in four straight Cubs games before the team was held to two combined runs by the Brewers on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Over is 5-2 for Astros games coming from an off-day.

SportsLine's model projects 1.8 total bases or more for the Astros' Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker and Jeremy Pena. The Cubs, meanwhile, are projected to get over 1.4 total bases or more from Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong. The model projects 8.9 combined runs as the Over hits in 62% of simulations. Get the Astros vs. Cubs money-line pick at SportsLine .

How to make Astros vs. Cubs picks

After simulating every pitch of Astros vs. Cubs 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can get that pick at SportsLine .

So who wins Cubs vs. Astros and which side of the money line has all the value?  Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks , and find out.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/astros-cubs-prediction-odds-time-2026-mlb-picks-friday-may-22/)._