Jason Hammel (5-4, 2.89 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs (46-37) square off against Michael Wacha (10-3, 2.66 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (54-30) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the last of a four-game series at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won the last game 5-3 and Chicago leads the series 2-1. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 8 and can be seen on FSN-MW, CSN-CHI and ESPN.
Hammel is 1-3 with a 6.57 ERA in his appearances against the Cardinals, and goes up against a good St. Louis offense which is batting .259 this season. Against the Cubs, Wacha is 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts. Jhonny Peralta (.293, 37 Rs, 11 HRs, 42 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 5 yesterday.
St. Louis is a slim -110 favorite over Chicago. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at seven runs for this matchup. The Cubs have an overall money line of +391 and a record as the underdog of 17-16. Within its division, Chicago has a 12-9 as the underdog and an 18-18 SU. The Cubs have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 2.8 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.9 runs per game. Chicago’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 2.7 runs per game, well under their season average of 3.7. The Cubs are the top team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.17 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cubs, who lead the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.7.
Over in the other dugout, St. Louis is coming in with an overall money line of +2,037 and an impressive record of 44-17 as the favorite. They have been playing solid baseball as favorite with a 19-5 record against fellow NL Central members, and a 23-9 record SU. St. Louis’s pitching staff has set the standard for its league, with an NL-low 2.56 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Cardinals are fourth in the NL with an average of 8.1 hits allowed per game. The Cardinals have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.1 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Cardinals lead the season series, 8-4. The Cubs have a 37-33 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Wacha takes the mound. Hammel (RHP) will be on the hill against the Cardinals, who have a very good 46-18 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 22-11, while Chicago is 19-16.
The Cubs are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Cardinals have a record of 19-14 when they are struck out that many times or more.
It looks like the Cubs have a slight leg up on the Cardinals, as the Cubs have won their last two games while the Cardinals have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 36-10. The Cubs have a 30-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 23rd, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 326 this season. St. Louis ranks in the bottom half at 19th with 333.
Ranking 11th, St. Louis is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 254 this season. Chicago ranks in the top five at third with 282.
The Cubs are 28-15 when they hit at least one home run. The Cardinals perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 32-12 record.
