The St. Louis Cardinals are set to face their division rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The action can be viewed across the country on Fox and the opening pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cardinals have gone 87-73 SU this year and are 83-76 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 3.1 units for moneyline bettors and 6.8 units ATS. The Cubs, on the other hand, are 94-66 SU and 78-81 ATS. They’ve gained 2.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 3.0 units ATS.
Cubs games have had an over/under record of 70-86-3 in 2018. St. Louis has an over/under record of 77-76-6.
Right-hander Miles Mikolas is projected to start for St. Louis. Mikolas is 17-4 with a 2.94 ERA and 140 strikeouts. He’s 2-0 with 12 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA against Chicago this year (three starts).
The Cubs are preparing to start lefty Cole Hamels (9-11, 3.87 ERA), who has 180 strikeouts and 63 walks, as well as a 1.28 WHIP. Hamels has yet to face the Cardinals this year and did not record a start against them in 2017.
St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.52 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.25 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.36, along with a WHIP of 1.25 and a K/9 of 8.32.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .249/.323/.411 on its way to 4.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
St. Louis’ hitters have been paced by outfielder Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Jose Martinez. Ozuna is slashing .280/.326/.434 with 23 home runs, 88 RBIs and 69 runs scored, while Martinez is hitting .305 with 17 homers, 83 RBIs and 63 runs scored.
In the other dugout, Chicago’s pitching staff has allowed 4.0 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starting pitching staff has a 3.87 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.35 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.6 K/9. In 74 games against divisional foes, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.36 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.72.
Chicago’s hitters are putting up 4.7 runs per contest, including 4.2 per game against divisional foes and 3.8 per game over their last five. The team has hit .256/.330/.360 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Cubs’ offense has been led by second baseman Javier Baez and first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Baez is hitting .291/.326/.559 with 34 home runs, 111 RBIs, 98 runs and 21 steals, while Rizzo’s line is .278/.373/.460 with 24 homers, 99 RBIs and 70 runs.
The Cardinals have gained 1.6 units and are 24-23 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 29 of those games, as opposed to 17 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 1.3 units and are 60-64 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in 54 of those games, compared to 67 that went under the total.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in four of Chicago’s last seven games.
- The St. Louis defense has allowed 18 errors over the last 10 games, compared to 11 errors for Chicago over its last 10.
- The Cardinals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cubs have hit eight over their last 10.
