Boston Red Sox vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/18/2025

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Friday, July 18, 2025

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MLBN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +108, Cubs -132; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +110, Cubs -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Red Sox +110, Cubs -130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Boston Red Sox:  53-45 (3rd place, AL East)

Chicago Cubs:  57-39 (1st place, NL Central)

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Boston Red Sox:  10-0 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  6-4 last 10

The Red Sox are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 4-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 53-45 record overall and have a road record of 21-25. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday. Their offense ranks 5th in the MLB with a .759 OPS. Brayan Bello was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Lucas Giolito is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-1 with a 3.36 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 6 SO on 4 hits through 6 IP against the Colorado Rockies.

The Cubs are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the New York Yankees 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 57-39 record overall and have a home record of 30-16. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Red Sox on Friday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .771 OPS. Shota Imanaga was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Colin Rea is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 7-3 with a 3.91 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts on 3 hits through 7 innings pitched against the Minnesota Twins.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked great in their games this season with their 57-39 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL Central with one of the best records in the entire MLB. They have also looked great in their own ballpark this year with their 30-16 home record. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have looked good in their games this season with their 53-45 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL East. They haven't been a great road team though with their 21-25 road record this season. The Red Sox have been red hot lately as they went into the All-Star break winning 10 games in a row, but now they are coming out of the break and they are in prime position to start cooling off now. They haven't looked good on the road this season and this is still a hot Cubs team that is 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Cubs are going with Rea in this one and he has looked a lot better lately. He is 7-3 with a 3.91 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs now. He is coming off another great start in which he only gave up 1 earned run and his team has won 3 games in a row now with him starting. The Red Sox are going with Giolito in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 6-1 with a 3.36 ERA and has looked a lot better in his starts lately. He gave up no runs in his last start and his team has also won 3 games in a row with him starting. The Red Sox do have one of the best offenses in the MLB, but so do the Cubs and this is a good situation for them at home to snap that 10 game win streak. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Red Sox Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 18, 2025 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Cubs 3 Red Sox 2.

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Boston Red Sox: 19-21 (-4.8 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 211-210 (-15.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 112-121 (-11.5 units) on the moneyline when the money line is +125 to -125. 42-24 UNDER after 3 consecutive game versus a division rival.

Chicago Cubs: 19-14 (+7.3 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 224-196 (+16.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 120-88 (+16.1 units) on the moneyline in home games. 15-9 UNDER vs. AL teams scoring 4.9 or more runs/game on the season.

Boston Red Sox:  H. Dobbins (SP) Fifteen Day IL - ACL. N. Burdi (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. L. Hendriks (RP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. Z. Kelly (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. L. Guerrero (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Slaten (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Winckowski (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Casas (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. K. Crawford (SP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. T. Houck (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Flexor. P. Sandoval (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  P. Hodge (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. J. Taillon (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Calf. M. Amaya (C) Ten Day IL - Oblique. E. Morgan (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Assad (RP) Sixty Day IL - Oblique. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“We pitch. It’s a lot different than last year.” - Alex Cora on his team this season. 

“You have to be pleased with how we played the first half. But it’s a looking-back thing, so that doesn’t guarantee you anything moving forward. It shows you you can be a good baseball team. It gives you confidence you can be a good baseball team. Now, you have to do it for [the rest of the season]. That’s how the season works. That’s why the regular season in baseball is a great test.” - Craig Counsell on his team this season. 

Jarren Duran (L) LF

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Roman Anthony (L) RF

Masataka Yoshida (L) DH

Trevor Story (R) SS

Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF

Marcelo Mayer (L) 2B

Romy Gonzalez (R) 1B

Connor Wong (R) C

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Kyle Tucker (L) DH

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Carson Kelly (R) C

Ian Happ (S) LF

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Vidal Bruján (S) 3B

Batting Average:  Romy Gonzalez (.326)

Hits:  Jarren Duran (103)

Home Runs:  Wilyer Abreu (18)

RBI:  Trevor Story (58)

Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran (16)

Wins:  Garrett Crochet (10)

Saves:  Aroldis Chapman (17)

ERA:  Nick Burdi (0.00)

Batting Average:  Michael Busch (.290)

Hits:  Kyle Tucker (100)

Home Runs:  Seiya Suzuki (25)

RBI:  Seiya Suzuki (77)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (27)

Wins:  Matthew Boyd (10)

Saves:  Daniel Palencia (12)

ERA:  Michael Fulmer (0.00)

Managers:

Boston Red Sox: Álex Cora (5th season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (2nd season)