Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs Odds, Analysis, MLB Betting Pick

Two Windy City teams heading in opposite directions will meet at Wrigley Field on Friday when the Chicago Cubs (19-15) host the Chicago White Sox (9-25). The Cubs rebounded nicely from a season-high five-game losing streak by completing a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins, while the White Sox have dropped five in a row and nine of their past 10.

MLB betting line: The Cubs opened as -260 favorites (wager $260 to win $100), according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 5.4-5.0, White Sox (MLB picks on every game)

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Why the White Sox can pay on the MLB lines

The White Sox have been competitive at times during their recent skid, with four of their last nine losses decided by just one run and two more decided by two. They are coming off a 6-5 setback to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, surrendering four runs in the top of the ninth inning and outhitting the opposition by a 10-7 margin.

The White Sox hope starting pitcher, Carson Fulmer (2-2, 5.02 ERA), can duplicate his last road start on April 28 when he pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed four hits in an 8-0 victory.

Why the Cubs can pay on the MLB lines

The Cubs have dominated this intracity rivalry lately, winning five of the past six meetings, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. None of those wins were really close either, with all of them decided by two runs or more and three decided by five or more. They could not have had a better tune-up for the White Sox either, pounding the Marlins by a combined score of 31-9 at Wrigley after being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals last weekend.

Much like Fulmer, the Cubs would like to see a similar effort from Tyler Chatwood (2-3, 3.31 ERA) in his last outing at home, as he threw seven shutout innings too and gave up two hits in a 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on April 29.

Smart betting pick

While it is certainly possible for the White Sox to win in this spot, it is unlikely, and more likely that they lose big. In the past 13 meetings at Wrigley, the winning team has won by two runs or more 12 times. Surprisingly, the White Sox won seven of those games, but only one of the last five. For that reason, take the Cubs on the run line.

MLB betting trends

The total has gone over in five of the White Sox's last six games.

The White Sox are 1-4 in their last five games on the road.

The total has gone under in 10 of the Cubs' last 14 games.

All MLB odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.