Javier Baez and the Chicago Cubs will be taking the field versus their divisional rival St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in a Saturday night game. The matchup can be viewed across the country on Fox and the opening pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Sportsbooks have Chicago (+110) as the underdog to St. Louis (-120). The total currently stands at 9 runs and bettors can play the over or the under for -110. This game currently has a runline of Cubs +1.5 (-190) and Cardinals -1.5 (+165).
The Cubs are 31-24 SU and have gone 25-29 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 2.5 units for moneyline bettors, despite having lost 5.0 units ATS. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 28-28 SU and 29-26 ATS. They’ve lost 7.3 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 3.1 units ATS.
Cardinals games have an over/under record of 26-25-4 so far in 2019. Chicago has been a decent over bet with a total record of 31-22-1.
Southpaw Jose Quintana is the probable starter for the visiting Cubs. Quintana is 4-4 with a 3.73 ERA and 56 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with two strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA against St. Louis this year.
The Cardinals will put the ball in the right hand of Jack Flaherty (4-3, 3.77 ERA, 1.17 WHIP), who’s got 65 strikeouts and 20 walks this season. Flaherty is 0-1 with nine strikeouts and a 4.76 ERA in one start against Chicago this year.
Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.85 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 8.54 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.93, along with a K/9 of 9.10.
The Cubs offense has slashed .256/.348/.460 on its way to 5.3 runs scored per game in 2019, including 5.0 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Chicago’s offense has been sparked by shortstop Javier Baez and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who have combined to swat 28 home runs. Baez is hitting .303/.349/.566 with 13 home runs, 34 RBIs and 37 runs scored. Rizzo has a .289 average with 15 homers, 42 RBIs and 36 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, St. Louis’ pitchers have given up 4.6 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starting pitching staff has a 4.48 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.24 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 10.4 K/9. In 25 games against divisional foes, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 5.00 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.29.
The St. Louis hitters have put up 4.9 runs per outing, including 5.2 per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over their last five. The team has hit .182/.274/.327 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Cardinals’ batters have been led by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Paul DeJong. Goldschmidt is slashing .274/.363/.447 with 11 home runs, 26 RBIs and 36 runs scored, and DeJong’s line is .280/.383/.488 with eight homers, 26 RBIs and 41 runs scored.
The Cubs have lost 0.3 units and are 20-23 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 25 of those games, compared to 18 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 4.3 units and are 3-5 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in four of those games, compared to three that’ve cashed the under.
Cubs at Cardinals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cubs, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in only one of Chicago’s last seven games.
- Chicago has posted 22.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 18.8 over its last five.
- The Cubs have hit 23 home runs in their last 10 games, including 12 over their last five.
- The Cubs have a total OPS of .808 this season and an OPS of .816 against right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS stands at .747 overall and .754 against righties.
