A’s vs. Cubs Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers, Prop Bets for Tuesday, June 2

May wasn’t too kind to the Chicago Cubs, as they dropped 13 of 29 games and 15 of their last 20 games, falling to fourth place in the NL Central in the process.

Now, the Cubbies open a series with the A’s on Tuesday night, as they look to turn things around in June. The A’s are in the mix for the top spot in a weak AL West this season, but they’ve also been in a bit of a slump, dropping seven of their last 10 games to fall to three games under .500 in the 2026 campaign.

On Tuesday, Chicago has veteran Jameson Taillon (5.37 ERA) on the mound against A’s youngster Gage Jump, who is making the second appearance of his MLB career. Jump allowed nine hits and four runs across five innings in a loss to the Seattle Mariners on May 26.

Oddsmakers have set the Cubs as favorites at home, and they have won six of the 11 outings that Taillon has made in 2026.

Let’s examine the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for this series opener on June 2.

A’s vs. Cubs Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Run Line

A’s +1.5 (-194)
Cubs -1.5 (+159)

Moneyline

A’s: +104
Cubs: -126

Total

7.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

A’s vs. Cubs Probable Pitchers

A’s: Gage Jump (0-1, 7.20 ERA)
Cubs: Jameson Taillon (2-4, 5.37 ERA)

A’s vs. Cubs How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, June 2
Time: 8:05 p.m. EST
Venue: Wrigley Field
How to Watch (TV): NBC Sports California, Marquee Sports Network
A’s record: 28-31
Cubs record: 32-28

A’s vs. Cubs Best MLB Prop Bets

A’s Best MLB Prop Bet

Nick Kurtz to Hit a Home Run (+364)

Kurtz is one of my favorite prop targets of the day, and I shared why in Tuesday’s edition of Daily Dinger for SI Betting:

A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz has been heating up over the last two weeks, raising his season-long average to .288 while posting a 1.035 OPS over his last 14 games. During that two-week stretch, Kurtz is hitting .347 and has left the yard twice, pushing him to 10 home runs in 2026.

There isn’t a better matchup on the board than the one Kurtz has on Tuesday, as the A’s take on the Chicago Cubs and struggling right-hander Jameson Taillon. The veteran has a 5.37 ERA this season and has already given up 19 home runs in just 11 outings.

Taillon 10 home runs in five starts in the month of May, including one start where he gave up five long balls.

That’s great news for the entire A’s offense, and Kurtz has dominated right-handed pitching this season, hitting .297 with seven of his 10 homers. He should stay hot on Tuesday night.

A’s vs. Cubs Prediction and Pick

Taillon has been extremely shaky in the 2026 season, even though the Cubs have found a way to win the majority of his starts.

He has a 5.37 ERA, 6.58 Fielding Independent Pitching and an expected ERA of 5.25, which ranks in the 12th percentile amongst MLB pitchers in 2026. Taillon has given up a ton of home runs, and he ranks in just the second percentile in barrel percentage and the 14th percentile in ground-ball percentage.

That’s a good sign for the A’s offense, which is ninth in OPS and 12th in Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) in 2026.

The Cubbies – despite their recent slide – are still 10th in OPS and fifth in wRC+ this season, and they may be able to take advantage of Jump, who didn’t have a very clean outing in his 2026 debut. He allowed nine hits and a walk against Seattle, and while his FIP (2.28) is much lower than his ERA, it’s hard to read too much into some of these advanced numbers after just one start.

The OVER has hit in the majority of the games for both of these teams, including 55.9 percent of Chicago’s matchups in 2026.

Given the pitching matchup, I think this total (7.5) is way too low on Tuesday night. In Taillon’s 11 starts, the Cubs have combined for eight or more runs six times.

Pick: OVER 7.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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