To say that the first two games of this series have been exciting would be an understatement.
The Cubs have a pair of come-from-behind, walk-off wins, thanks primarily to National League MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong, who homered in the winning run on Monday in the 10th, then scored the winning run on Tuesday in the ninth. What can’t this man do?
Will the White Sox be able to bounce-back and avoid the sweep on Wednesday? Let’s preview this interleague rivalry and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
White Sox vs. Cubs prediction, preview
What a difference one start makes. The Cubs paid a hefty price at the deadline to bring in Clay Holmes from the Mets, parting ways with consensus Top 100 prospect Jefferson Rojas. It looked like a poor decision earlier this month, after the RHP surrendered four earned runs in four innings to the Royals in his Cubs debut; however, it now looks like a stroke of genius, as Holmes threw 6.2 innings of scoreless baseball his last time out against the Cardinals, allowing just a single hit in the process. Remember, when the Cubs acquired Holmes, the veteran was rehabbing in the minors. He’d been on the IL since May 15. It’s very possible he needed a little bit of time to reacclimatize himself to the MLB level. Between the two organizations, Holmes sports a pristine 2.56 ERA across 11 starts and 63.1 innings. Injuries are playing a major factor here, but it might have taken two appearances for Holmes to cement himself as the Cubs’ current ace.
While that might seem like an underwhelming statement for a playoff-bound team, the Cubs’ pitching concerns are slightly offset by an elite lineup. The Cubs lead the league in position player fWAR since since the All-Star break, and it isn’t especially close (8.5). That’s what happens when you play easily the best defense in baseball, while also managing top five marks in ISO (.181), batting average (.265), wOBA (.344) and wRC+ (119). The aforementioned Pete Crow-Armstrong is at the center of this success, and the MVP frontrunner comes into Wednesday’s action having hit four home runs in his past three games. The downfall of PCA in 2025 was his inability to keep producing in the year’s second-half. This time around? Crow-Armstrong leads all qualified players in ISO (.368) since the Midsummer Classic.
Looking to stop the Cubs’ red-hot bats will be Sean Newcomb and Jose Urquidy, who will likely take on the same opener and bulk roles as they did in a 9-5 win over the Tigers this past Friday. The duo will try to replace the injured Davis Martin (finger), as the right-hander was placed on the IL last week. In all honestly, it’s just nice to see Urquidy in MLB again, as a slew of serious injuries robbed the veteran of a majority of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. With that said, the 31-year-old has not pitched incredibly well since being re-called to the majors, conceding nine earned runs in his first 10.0 innings of 2026 — that’s with both the Pirates and the White Sox. He’s a massive question mark when it comes to predicting this contest in either direction.
White Sox vs. Cubs pick, best bet
Best Bet: NRFI (-130)
PCA has back-to-back leadoff home runs in this series, so I can understand worrying about a NRFI bet. That said, Sean Newcomb is left-handed, and he’s allowed just 0.26 long balls per nine this season. He’s also got a 2.51 ERA and a 2.95 FIP. I trust in Newcomb and Clay Holmes to keep this one scoreless going into the second frame.
