Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 5/2/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: Arizona (+125) Chicago (-150)

The Chicago Cubs (19-12) welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks (16-14) at Wrigley Field on Saturday. The moneyline on this contest has the Diamondbacks at +125 and the Cubs are at -150. The over/under is 8.5. The pitchers taking the mound are Ryne Nelson and Shota Imanaga.

The Diamondbacks have tallied 55 two-baggers as a unit and have hit 31 balls out of the stadium. Arizona has a slugging percentage of .418 and have struck out 240 times, while drawing a walk on 81 occasions. As a squad, the Arizona Diamondbacks are notching 4.7 runs per game, which ranks them 11th in MLB. They have accumulated 135 runs batted in in addition to 250 hits on the year, and their average at the plate is .250. They are sitting with 141 runs and have an OBP of .308.

Get all of our MLB Expert Picks

Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.18 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.39. Diamondbacks pitchers have allowed 40 long balls in addition to 165 runs (28th in baseball). Arizona has surrendered 267 hits (9.1 per 9 innings) and also 147 earned runs. The Diamondbacks are sitting with a team earned run average of 4.99 on the year (28th in MLB), and their staff has struck out 222 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 102 players from the other team and their FIP comes in at 4.67 as a squad on the campaign.

Diamondbacks relief pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on base 29 times in addition to having 45 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have recorded 25 holds for the year (1st in MLB). The Diamondbacks relievers have a save percentage of 60.0% and have come into the game in 41 save situations. They have recorded 9 saves on the campaign and have blown 6 of 15 chances to get a save. The relief pitchers have inherited 42 runners so far this year with 31.0% of them crossing home plate. The Diamondbacks have sent 109 relievers to the hill this season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have earned 796 putouts on the year, as well as 271 assists and 18 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .983 which is 25th in baseball, and they have turned 20 double plays. The Diamondbacks have turned 69.5% of balls in play into outs out of their 2,388 innings, ranking them 17th in professional baseball.

Nelson (27-20 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a FIP of 4.30 and he has faced 2,057 batters in the majors. He has surrendered 475 base hits (8.7 hits per 9 innings) and has 138 free passes. His ERA is 4.37 (239 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.245. Nelson has thrown 492 frames and has tallied 394 K's so far in his MLB career.

Chicago has a total of 42 home runs this season as well as 154 runs batted in. They have put up 46 two-baggers, while getting a free base 141 times and earning 169 runs. The Chicago Cubs are sitting with a team on-base percentage of .353 and a team batting average of .261 on the year. The Cubs have a slugging percentage of .427 and they are recording 5.45 runs per game (3rd in baseball). They have been rung up on 257 occasions (17th in baseball) and have a total of 279 hits.

The Chicago pitching staff have surrendered 134 runs this year while having a team ERA of 4.01 (123 earned runs yielded). They have conceded 36 HR's and they surrender 4.37 runs per 9 innings (11th in the league). The Cubs have a WHIP of 1.188 and have a FIP of 4.14 as a pitching staff so far this season. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.20 (251 strikeouts vs 94 bases on balls). They are currently ranked 7th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 234.

Chicago relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 31.8% out of 44 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 29 times in high leverage situations and on 32 occasions with runners on base. With 18 save situations, the Cubs have accrued 6 holds and also 5 blown saves. They are ranked 24th in baseball with a save percentage of 54.5%, and they have dispatched 91 bullpen pitchers to the mound this season.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 21 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .986 (15th in baseball). The Cubs have accrued 272 assists, 16 errors and have a tally of 828 putouts for the season. Out of their 2,484 innings played, the Cubs have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 72.3% (4th in pro baseball).

Imanaga (26-13 career win-loss mark) has earned a 3.27 ERA while allowing 7.3 hits per 9 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 5.22 and he has faced 1,394 batters thus far in his career. He has given up 128 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 0.994 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.2. Thus far in his career, Imanaga has given up 287 base knocks while totaling 329 strikeouts in 352 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Arizona (+125)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get MLB picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.