The St. Louis Cardinals will be facing off against their divisional rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The action starts at 2:20 p.m. ET and you can watch the game on both WLS and FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cardinals are 10-7 SU and have gone 9-7 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 0.5 units for moneyline gamblers in this young season and 1.0 unit ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Cubs, on the other hand, are 7-8 SU and 7-7 ATS. They’ve lost 5.2 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 0.2 units ATS. Chicago has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Cubs games have had an over/under record of 6-8 thus far in 2018. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 7-9.
The right-handed Luke Weaver will get the nod for St. Louis. Weaver is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 17 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cubs this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-1, 24.00 ERA and three strikeouts over three innings).
The Cubs are putting the ball in the left hand of Jon Lester (1-0, 4.40 ERA), who’s got 11 punchouts and seven walks this season as well as a 1.67 WHIP. Lester made five starts against the team in 2017, compiling a 2-1 record in 2017, putting together a 2-1 record with a 2.93 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The team’s starting pitching staff has a 5.31 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 2.37, a WHIP of 1.18 and a K/9 of 9.0. In nine games against divisional foes, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.44 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.94.
The Chicago hitters are putting up 5.0 runs per outing, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 6.2 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .251/.354/.444 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that span.
Third baseman Kris Bryant and second baseman Javier Baez have led the Cubs’ offense this year. Bryant is slashing .328/.473/.569 with 19 hits, eight RBIs and nine runs scored, and Baez’s line is .235/.339/.667 with five homers, 16 RBIs and 12 runs.
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 3.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.14 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 8.69 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.36, along with a WHIP of 1.26.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .244/.330/.408 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (5-0 SU).
First baseman Jose Martinez and right fielder Tommy Pham have led St. Louis’ offense. Martinez is slashing .339/.429/.559 with three home runs, 15 RBIs and five runs scored, while Pham (.323/.440/.468) has produced two homers, five RBIs, 16 runs and five stolen bases.
Putting up a slash line of .474/.545/.895 across 44 such plate appearances, Martinez performed well against lefties on the road last season (compared to his total season slash line of .309/.379/.518).
The Cardinals have gained 1.9 units and are 3-1 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in one of those games, as opposed to three that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 4.2 units and are 4-5 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in four of those games, compared to five that went under the total.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Notes
Chicago has recorded 23.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 23.4 over its last five.
The Cardinals have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games, including 10 over their last five.
*****
