Kansas City Royals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/23/2025

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  FDSKC, MARQ

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +128, Cubs -157; Over/Under:  10.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +125, Cubs -150; Over/Under:  10.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Royals +125, Cubs -150; Over/Under:  10.5 runs

Kansas City Royals:  49-52 (3rd place, AL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  59-41 (2nd place, NL Central)

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Kansas City Royals:  6-4 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  5-5 last 10

The Royals are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 49-52 record overall and have a road record of 25-26. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Royals won the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .679 OPS. Rich Hill is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Seth Lugo is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 6-5 with a 2.94 ERA this season. His team won 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 ER, 2 HR, and 0 BB with 5 SO on 8 hits through 6 IP against the Miami Marlins.

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Boston Red Sox 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 59-41 record overall and have a home record of 32-18. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Royals on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Cubs lost the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .771 OPS. Matthew Boyd is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Colin Rea is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 8-3 with a 3.80 ERA this season. His team won their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Boston Red Sox.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked great in their games this season with their 59-41 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 32-18 home record. Meanwhile, the Royals haven't looked great in their games this season with their 49-52 record overall which has them right near the bottom of the AL Central. They haven't been a good road team this year either with their 25-26 road record. The Royals took the 1st game of this series and they have been the hotter team lately as they are 6-4 in their last 10 games while the Cubs are only 5-5. The Royals are also going to have the better pitching matchup too, but the Cubs don't have a bad starter in this one and they still have one of the best offenses in the MLB. They are going with Rea in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 8-3 with a 3.80 ERA and hasn't been giving up many runs lately. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and the team has had a lot of success with him lately too, winning 4 games in a row now with him on the mound. The Royals are going to have Lugo on the mound here and he has been their ace this season. He is 6-5 with a 2.94 ERA and hasn't given up many runs all year, but the team has still struggled with him due to having one of the worst offenses in the MLB. The team has had success lately, winning 3 of their last 4 games with him starting, but he did give up 5 earned runs in his last start and the Cubs can take advantage of that with their strong lineup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Royals Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, July 23, 2025 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Cubs 4 Royals 2.

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Kansas City Royals: 193-238 (-18.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 92-126 (-7.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 58-70 (-5 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 14-7 UNDER after 6 consecutive games versus interleague opponents.

Chicago Cubs: 28-18 (+8.6 units) on the moneyline against AL Central opponents. 226-198 (+15.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 122-90 (+15.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 8-5 UNDER against AL Central opponents.

Kansas City Royals:  M. Lorenzen (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. M. Canha (LF) Ten Day IL - Elbow. D. Lynch IV (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. C. Ragans (SP) Sixty Day IL - Rotator Cuff. M. Massey (2B) Ten Day IL - Ankle. A. Marsh (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. McArthur (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

Chicago Cubs:  P. Crow-Armstrong (CF) Day To Day - Knee. 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.

“It’s not surprising. It’s something that he's done for years, and he's got huge power. He hits the ball extremely hard, and when he's more selective at the plate, like he's been, he does damage.” - Matt Quatraro after his team’s win against the Cubs in their game on Monday.

“Obviously, things can change, but right now, he's going to pitch in bulk or length.” - Craig Counsell on Ben Brown after his team’s loss against the Royals in their game on Monday.

Jonathan India (R) DH

Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS

Vinnie Pasquantino (L) 1B

Maikel Garcia (R) 3B

Salvador Perez (R) C

Jac Caglianone (L) RF

Nick Loftin (R) 2B

John Rave (L) LF

Kyle Isbel (L) CF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Seiya Suzuki (R) CF

Carson Kelly (R) C

Ian Happ (S) LF

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Justin Turner (R) DH

Matt Shaw (R) 3B

Batting Average:  Adam Frazier (.400)

Hits:  Bobby Witt (115)

Home Runs:  Salvador Perez (17)

RBI:  Salvador Perez (60)

Stolen Bases:  Bobby Witt (27)

Wins:  Kris Bubic (8)

Saves:  Carlos Estévez (26)

ERA:  Hunter Harvey (0.00)

Batting Average:  Michael Busch (.285)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (104)

Home Runs:  Seiya Suzuki (26)

RBI:  Seiya Suzuki (80)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (28)

Wins:  Matthew Boyd (10)

Saves:  Daniel Palencia (13)

ERA:  Michael Fulmer (0.00)

Managers:

Kansas City Royals: Matt Quatraro (3rd season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (2nd season)