Paul DeJong and the St. Louis Cardinals are traveling north to take on their division rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. NBC Sports Chicago will be airing the action and the game will get going at 2:20 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cubs are 16-12 straight up (SU) and 14-14 against the spread (ATS). The team’s gained 1.3 units for moneyline bettors while earning 0.4 units ATS. Chicago has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Cardinals are 20-11 SU and have gone 19-11 against the spread. In total, the club has accumulated 9.3 units for moneyline bettors in the season’s early going and 9.4 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Cubs games have a 16-11-1 over/under record so far in 2019. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 16-11-3.
Right-hander Jack Flaherty will get the start for the visiting Cardinals. Flaherty (3-1, 4.06 ERA) has racked up 36 punchouts in 30 innings so far. This will be his first start against Chicago this year. He did make three starts against the Cubs in 2018, putting together a 1-1 record against them with a 3.55 ERA and 19 strikeouts.
The Cubs are sending righty Kyle Hendricks (1-4, 5.33 ERA) to the mound. Hendricks has 24 strikeouts and eight walks as well as a WHIP of 1.78. Hendricks made four starts against the team in 2018, compiling a spotless 3-0 record in 2018, putting together a spotless 3-0 record with a 3.51 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starters own a 4.36 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 8.17 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.54, along with a WHIP of 1.39.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .268/.349/.442 on its way to 5.3 runs scored per game this year, including 5.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
St. Louis’ offense has been sparked by shortstop Paul DeJong and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. DeJong is slashing .333/.393/.585 with five home runs, 13 RBIs and 27 runs scored, while Goldschmidt has a .262 average with nine homers, 19 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Chicago’s pitchers have given up 4.4 runs per game overall in 2019. The club’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.66, a WHIP of 1.26 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.1. The bullpen has a 4.22 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 10.0 K/9. In six games against divisional opponents, Cubs starters have an ERA of 5.93 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.01.
The Chicago offense has produced 5.7 runs per outing, including 6.7 per game against divisional foes and 7.0 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .268/.350/.545 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Cubs’ batters have been led by shortstop Javier Baez and outfielder Jason Heyward. Baez is hitting .314/.352/.653 with 10 home runs, 24 RBIs and 25 runs scored, and Heyward’s line is .329/.438/.529 with five homers, 16 RBIs and 16 runs.
The Cardinals have gained 9.3 units and are 16-9 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 14 of those games, compared to nine 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 right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 12 of those games, as opposed to nine that’ve gone under.
Cardinals at Cubs MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cubs, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in just two of Chicago’s last seven games.
- St. Louis has posted 24.5 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 21.2 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit seven home runs in their last 10 games. The Cubs have hit 18 over their last 10.
- The Cardinals have a total OPS of .791 this season and an OPS of .813 against right-handed pitchers. The Cubs’ OPS stands at .811 overall and .815 versus righties.
