Paul DeJong and the St. Louis Cardinals will be taking on their division rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in a Saturday matinee. The game gets underway 4:05 p.m. ET and Fox Sports One will showcase the matchup.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cubs are 17-12 straight up (SU) and 14-14 against the spread (ATS). The team’s gained 1.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 0.4 units ATS. The Cardinals have gone 20-12 SU this year and are 20-11 against the spread. Overall, the club has gained 8.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline in this young season and 10.4 units ATS.
Cubs games have an over/under record of 16-11-1 so far in 2019. St. Louis has an over/under record of 16-12-3.
Right-hander Michael Wacha is projected to start for the visiting Cardinals. Wacha is 2-0 with a 4.78 ERA and 29 strikeouts. This is his first outing against Chicago this year. He did make two starts against the team in 2018, posting a 0-1 record with an 8.68 ERA and seven strikeouts.
The Cubs are putting the ball in the hands of righty Yu Darvish (2-3, 5.02 ERA), who has 33 strikeouts and 22 walks as well as a 1.57 WHIP. Darvish did not record a start against the Cardinals in 2018.
St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starters own a 4.38 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 8.38 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.54, along with a K/9 of 10.55.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .264/.343/.434 on its way to 5.1 runs scored per game this year, including 5.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
St. Louis’ offensive production has been fueled by shortstop Paul DeJong and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. DeJong is slashing .323/.381/.567 with five home runs, 13 RBIs and 27 runs scored, while Goldschmidt (.254/.338/.492) has produced nine homers, 19 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, Chicago’s pitching staff has given up 4.2 runs per game overall this year. The club’s starters have a 3.46 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.22 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 10.0 K/9. In seven games against NL Central foes, Cubs starters have an ERA of 4.46 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.01.
The Chicago hitters have put up 5.7 runs per contest, including 6.3 per game against divisional foes and 7.2 per game over their last five. The team has hit .264/.357/.534 over its last five matchups and is 5-0 SU during that span.
Shortstop Javier Baez and right fielder Jason Heyward have led the Cubs’ offense so far. Baez is hitting .312/.348/.640 with 10 home runs, 25 RBIs and 25 runs scored, while Heyward’s line is .315/.422/.506 with five homers, 16 RBIs and 16 runs.
The Cardinals have gained 8.3 units and are 17-9 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 14 of those games, compared to 10 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cubs have netted 0.3 units and are 11-10 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has cashed in 12 of those games, compared to nine that went under.
Cardinals at Cubs Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in five of Chicago’s last seven games.
- Chicago has posted 23.0 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 27.6 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit five home runs in their last 10 games. The Cubs have hit 19 over their last 10.
- The Cardinals have an OPS of .777 this season and an OPS of .796 against right-handed pitchers. The Cubs’ OPS sits at .808 overall and .811 versus righties.
