Houston Astros vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 05/22/26

The Chicago Cubs are hoping a day off can help them reset when they welcome the Houston Astros to Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. Chicago has dropped 5 straight games and 8 of its last 10 overall, but Houston hasn’t been much better recently — losing 6 of its last 10 matchups. The Astros will hand the ball to Spencer Arrighetti, who has been outstanding this season. Arrighetti enters with a 5-1 record, 1.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 35 strikeouts across 36 innings pitched. For Chicago, Jameson Taillon gets the start after struggling in his last outing against the White Sox, when he allowed 8 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings. Taillon enters this matchup with a 2-3 record and a 4.97 ERA. 

While Arrighetti has done his job on the mound, Houston’s offense has struggled badly of late, averaging just 2.2 runs per game while batting .197 over the last 10 games. Unfortunately for Chicago, the Cubs haven’t been much better offensively, averaging only 3.1 runs while hitting .185 during that span. With both lineups struggling to generate consistent offense, the pitching matchup becomes even more important, and that’s where Houston holds the edge. Arrighetti has been one of the more reliable starters in baseball this season, while Taillon enters coming off one of his roughest outings of the year. Look for the Astros to take advantage of Chicago’s recent struggles and pick up a road win at Wrigley Field. 

Astros vs Cubs prediction: Houston Astros ML (+120) at the time of publishing. Playable to +100.

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