Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/18/2026

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  MLB TV, TBS

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  White Sox +144, Cubs -175; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  White Sox +145, Cubs -175; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  White Sox +145, Cubs -175; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Chicago White Sox:  65-58 (1st place, AL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  72-53 (2nd place, NL Central)

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Chicago White Sox:  6-4 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  6-4 last 10

The White Sox are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Detroit Tigers 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 65-58 record overall and have a road record of 28-34. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday with the series opener still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 8th in the MLB with a .730 OPS. Luis Castillo is their starting pitcher on Monday while Erick Fedde is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 6-8 with a 4.51 ERA this season. His team lost their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 4 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 1 SO on 5 hits through 3 IP against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the St Louis Cardinals 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 72-53 record overall and have a home record of 36-26. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the White Sox on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .754 OPS. Shota Imanaga is their starting pitcher on Monday while Kevin Gausman is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 6-11 with a 4.53 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 6 earned runs, 1 homer, and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts on 7 hits through 4.2 innings pitched against the Washington Nationals.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked really good in their games this season with their 72-53 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 36-26 home record this season. Meanwhile, the White Sox have looked good in their games this season with their 65-58 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL Central. They haven't been a good road team though with their 28-34 road record this year. Both of these teams are 6-4 in their last 10 games respectively and both have been rolling lately. The White Sox are coming off a big series sweep of the Tigers over the weekend, but their pitching still wasn't great in that series and now they aren't going to have their best option starting here. The offense has looked great lately, but the Cubs do have one of the best offenses in MLB while the White Sox have a struggling bullpen. The Cubs are going with Gausman in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 6-11 with a 4.53 ERA and he hasn't looked great since getting to the Cubs. He is coming off another bad start in which he gave up 6 earned runs, but his team has still won 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. Gausman will be looking to bounce back now that he is back on another playoff contender and even with another bad start here, the Cubs do have the offense to bail him out with this White Sox pitching staff not being that great themselves. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

White Sox Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, August 18, 2026 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Cubs 8 White Sox 7.

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Chicago White Sox: 12-30 (-14.6 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 166-281 (-54 units) on the moneyline in all games. 73-151 (-40.1 units) on the moneyline in road games. 7-2 OVER against NL Central opponents.

Chicago Cubs: 252-205 (+19.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 135-94 (+11.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 196-150 (+26 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 9-5 OVER against AL Central opponents.

Chicago White Sox:  D. Martin (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Finger. C. Murphy (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Flexor. J. Bart (C) Ten Day IL - Hand. K. Teel (C) Ten Day IL - Ankle. J. Leasure (RP) Sixty Day IL - Flexor. T. Murray (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. P. Berroa (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Baldwin (LF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. M. Vasil (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Thorpe (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. K. Bush (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  D. Swanson (SS) Day To Day - Side. B. Brown (RP) Sixty Day IL - Neck. G. Hollowell (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. P. Maton (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. M. Shaw (RF) Ten Day IL - Hand. H. Milner (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Appendicitis. D. Palencia (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. 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.

“You call it whatever you want. I'm just so proud of the group. These guys are tired and beat up and they just keep playing.” - Will Venable after his team’s win against the Tigers in their game on Sunday. 

“Obviously, Dansby has been an incredibly durable player and we have not needed to use it very much, but this is something else that Nico brings to the table. And that’s an important thing that he brings to the table. It’s obviously going to be highlighted in the next couple weeks.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s loss against the Cardinals in their game on Sunday. 

Sam Antonacci (L) LF

Munetaka Murakami (L) 1B

Miguel Vargas (R) 3B

Andrew Benintendi (L) DH

Braden Montgomery (S) RF

Colson Montgomery (L) SS

Chase Meidroth (R) 2B

Tristan Peters (L) CF

Drew Romo (S) C

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Ian Happ (S) LF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Pedro Ramírez (S) 1B

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Michael Conforto (L) DH

Miguel Amaya (R) C

Batting Average:  Randal Grichuk (.292)

Hits:  Chase Meidroth (121)

Home Runs:  Munetaka Murakami (28)

RBI:  Miguel Vargas (72)

Stolen Bases:  Luisangel Acuña (16)

Wins:  Davis Martin (9)

Saves:  Seranthony Domínguez (12)

ERA:  Hagen Smith (0.00)

Batting Average:  Justin Dean (.375)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (131)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (28)

RBI:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (75)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (30)

Wins:  Colin Rea (8)

Saves:  Jacob Webb (9)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Managers:

Chicago White Sox: Will Venable (2nd season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)