The Cubs have won six straight and send Justin Steele to face the reeling Giants. Steele is 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA over his past nine starts and will be followed by a bullpen that's been excellent over the past month. The Giants have lost seven in a row overall and four straight versus left-handed starters. Chicago had an off day so the travel shouldn't be an issue. Take the road dog.

The Cubs have somehow won six straight and the Giants have lost seven in a row (all on the road), but I still think this price is fairly cheap on the Giants at home even though they are nowhere their 2021 selves at Oracle Park. SF starter Alex Wood has a home ERA of 3.95 (Cubs 3-8 past 11 vs. lefties) and Chicago's Justin Steele has a road ERA of 5.23 (Giants 8-0 past eight at home vs. a lefty). There's also the very realistic chance the Cubbies could trade the likes of Willson Contreras/Ian Happ/closer David Robertson before game time. The Yankees perhaps just kickstarted the trade market in a big way by acquiring Andrew Benintendi from Kansas City. Happ would make a nice secondary option for those clubs that lost out on Benintendi.

My projections see major value in the Giants as a slight home favorite Thursday. My numbers have them winning in more than two-thirds of simulations, providing value against their price. Projected starter Alex Wood has been solid in July, posting an ERA of 1.31 in 20.2 innings and posting a 1-1 record. The Cubs have one just one of the past seven contests in this rivalry.