Chicago Cubs vs Miami Marlins Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/04/2026

Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Friday, September 4, 2026

Venue:  LoanDepot Park, Miami, FL

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -131, Marlins +109; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -130, Marlins +110; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -130, Marlins +110; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Chicago Cubs:  78-62 (2nd place, NL Central)

Miami Marlins:  71-69 (3rd place, NL East)

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Chicago Cubs:  4-6 last 10

Miami Marlins:  5-5 last 10

The Cubs lost their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1. They enter this game with a 78-62 record overall and have a road record of 38-31. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Marlins on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers still to be played on Thursday. The Cubs won the series opener on Monday, lost the 2nd game on Tuesday, and lost the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .772 OPS. Kevin Gausman is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Shota Imanaga is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 8-10 with a 4.01 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 6 ER, 3 HR, and 1 BB with 4 SO on 8 hits through 5 IP against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Marlins lost their 4-game series against the Washington Nationals 3-1. They enter this game with a 71-69 record overall and have a home record of 42-27. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday with the 3rd game of their series against the Kansas City Royals still to be played on Thursday. The Marlins won the 1st game of that series on Tuesday and the 2nd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .725 OPS. Sandy Alcantara is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Janson Junk is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-8 with a 4.11 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, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts on 4 hits through 4.2 innings pitched against the Washington Nationals.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked really good in their games this season with their 78-62 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 38-31 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Marlins have looked good in their games this season with their 71-69 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL East. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 42-27 home record this season. The Marlins haven't looked great lately though, going 5-5 in their last 10 games, and the Wild Card race is starting to slip further away from them. The Cubs haven't looked any better lately as they are 4-6 in their last 10 games, but they did run into one of the best teams in baseball in their last series and will be looking to get hot again with one of the best offenses in MLB, still putting up a ton of runs lately. Imanaga is on the mound for the Cubs in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 8-10 with a 4.01 ERA, but the team has been having a lot of success with him lately. He did give up 6 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been the case with him for most of the season. The team has also won 4 of their last 5 games with him starting. The Marlins are going with Junk in this one and he hasn't looked great this season either. He is 6-8 with a 4.11 ERA and he has been giving up quite a few runs all year. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start and the team has won 3 games in a row now with him starting, but that hasn't been a common theme this season. Imanaga will be looking to have a better start in this game and the Cubs do have the much hotter offense to lean on here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Cubs Marlins Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, September 4, 2026 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Cubs 6 Marlins 4.

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Chicago Cubs: 49-37 (+5.1 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 258-214 (+14.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 119-115 (+5.7 units) on the moneyline in road games. 41-23 OVER vs. an NL team with a slugging percentage .400 or worse on the season.

Miami Marlins: 110-121 (-3.3 units) on the moneyline in home games. 48-93 (-34.5 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 18-37 (-9.3 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a slugging percentage of .430 or better on the season. 18-9 OVER vs. teams outscoring opp by 0.5 or more runs/game on the season.

Chicago Cubs:  J. Webb (RP) Day To Day - Forearm. P. Ramirez (2B) Day To Day - Back. P. Maton (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. E. Cabrera (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Blister. D. Swanson (SS) Ten Day IL - Side. B. Brown (RP) Sixty Day IL - Neck. G. Hollowell (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. R. Martin (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. P. Hodge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Horton (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Tricep. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Austin (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Miller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Miami Marlins:  X. Edwards (2B) Ten Day IL - Thumb. P. Fairbanks (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Nerve. W. Kempner (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. M. Meyer (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Neck. A. Bender (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shin. A. Nardi (RP) Sixty Day IL - Ribs. R. Snelling (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Mazur (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Henriquez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“You’re going to get a lot of fastballs. It’s just the fastball at the top of the zone, nobody has hit it. He has the ability to throw a pitch in the strike zone that is just really challenging to hit. And there’s not many pitchers you can say that about. So, you’ve got to get the ball down against him, essentially. And there is damage when you can get the ball in that area of the strike zone. But that means when he executes, you’re in trouble. And that’s generally how the great ones are. That’s how it works.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s loss against the Brewers in their game on Wednesday.

“This was like a boxing match. We drew some blood early, but it was kind of just hanging there and trying to win round by round. What we were able to do collectively offensively and just kind of keep going, putting pressure on them, and getting some big hits with people on, it was a really good night for our offense.” - Clayton McCullough after his team’s win against the Royals in their game on Wednesday. 

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Seiya Suzuki (R) DH

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Nico Hoerner (R) SS

Ian Happ (S) LF

Matt Shaw (R) 2B

Tyrone Taylor (R) RF

Miguel Amaya (R) C

Heriberto Hernández (R) LF

Otto Lopez (R) SS

Kyle Stowers (L) 1B

Agustín Ramírez (R) DH

Javier Sanoja (R) 3B

Jakob Marsee (L) CF

Esteury Ruiz (R) RF

Jared Serna (R) 2B

Joe Mack (L) C

Batting Average:  Tyrone Taylor (.408)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (151)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (38)

RBI:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (91)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (32)

Wins:  Colin Rea (8)

Saves:  Jacob Webb (9)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Batting Average:  Deyvison De Los Santos (.333)

Hits:  Otto Lopez (166)

Home Runs:  Heriberto Hernandez (22)

RBI:  Liam Hicks (62)

Stolen Bases:  Esteury Ruiz (30)

Wins:  Sandy Alcantara (13)

Saves:  Pete Fairbanks (18)

ERA:  Jack Ralston (1.50)

Managers:

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)

Miami Marlins: Clayton McCullough (2nd season)