Michael Wacha (9-3, 2.85 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (48-24) square off against Jake Arrieta (7-5, 3.07 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs (39-32) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the first of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Action begins at 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 26 and can be seen on ABC7 and FSN-MW.
Wacha is 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts against the Cubs. Jhonny Peralta (.305, 33 Rs, 11 HRs, 40 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. Arrieta is 3-1 with a 1.51 ERA when pitching against the Cardinals. He takes on a quality St. Louis offense which is hitting .265 this season. Anthony Rizzo (.312, 42 Rs, 15 HRs, 43 RBIs, 11 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Cubs, going 3 for 4 yesterday.
St. Louis is a -133 favorite against Chicago and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Cardinals have recorded an overall money line of +1,934 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 38-14. St. Louis is an impressive 7-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Cardinals, who have a team ERA of only 2.69. The Cardinals are the fifth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.20 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cardinals, who rank fifth in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.0.
In games where it is the underdog, Chicago has a 16-13 record and an overall money line of +388. They played solid baseball as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 4-1 record, and a 5-5 record SU. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Cubs are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.19 for the season. The Cubs have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.7 strikeouts per game.
The Cardinals lead the season series, 4-2. The Cardinals have a great 23-4 record at home (40-15 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Arrieta takes the mound. Wacha (RHP) will be on the hill against the Cubs, who have a 33-28 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
Chicago has won 53% (16-14) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, St. Louis has won 71% (20-8) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Cardinals managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are coming in with a 21-8 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Cardinals have a slight leg up on the Cubs, as the Cardinals have won their last three games while the Cubs have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 33-8. The Cubs have a 26-5 record when outhitting opponents.
St. Louis and Chicago both rank in the bottom half of the league in runs. St. Louis sits at 18th with 294 runs this season and Chicago ranks 19th with 291.
Ranking 11th, St. Louis is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 221 this season. Chicago ranks in the top five at fifth with 237.
When the Cardinals hit at least one home run, they are 30-10. When the Cubs hit at least one homer, they have a 25-15 record.
