The Chicago Cubs will be facing off against their divisional rival St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The matchup can be viewed across the country on ESPN and the game gets underway 8:08 p.m. ET.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (+105) is the home-team underdog against Chicago (-115) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this night game at 8.5 runs. Odds for wagering on the game’s total stand at +100 for the over and -120 for the under. Gamblers can also bet on the game’s runline with the odds coming in at Cubs -1.5 runs (+130) and Cardinals +1.5 runs (-150).
The Cardinals are 36-32 straight up (SU) and 31-36 against the spread (ATS). The team’s lost 5.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.7 units (ATS). St. Louis has covered the spread just twice in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Cubs are 40-27 SU and have gone 34-32 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 1.3 units for moneyline bettors, but have gained 3.0 units ATS. Chicago has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.
St. Louis games have had an over/under record of 26-37-4 thus far in 2018. Chicago has also been a good under bet with a total record of 27-38-1.
Southpaw Jose Quintana is the probable starter for the visiting Cubs. Quintana (6-4, 4.09 ERA) has racked up 70 punchouts in 70.1 innings so far. He’s 0-1 with four strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against St. Louis this year.
The Cardinals are going with righty Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.96 ERA), who’s got 48 punchouts and 11 walks to his credit, as well as a 1.09 WHIP. Flaherty has yet to face the Cubs this year and did not record a start against them in 2017.
As a unit, St. Louis’ pitchers have yielded 4.1 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starters have an ERA of 3.30, a WHIP of 1.22 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.0. The bullpen has a 4.46 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 8.7 K/9. In 36 divisional games, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.47 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.31.
St. Louis’ offense has put up 4.3 runs per outing, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .257/.295/.401 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that span.
First baseman Jose Martinez and outfielder Marcell Ozuna have led the Cardinals’ batters this year. Martinez is hitting .321/.389/.517 with 10 home runs, 42 RBIs and 32 runs scored, while Ozuna’s line is .290/.337/.444 with 10 homers, 40 RBIs and 29 runs.
In the other dugout, Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 3.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.52 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 8.04 K/9. The bullpen has logged an outstanding ERA of just 2.68, along with a K-per-9 of 9.34.
The Cubs offense has slashed .260/.344/.421 on its way to 5.0 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Chicago’s hitters have been paced by third baseman Kris Bryant and left fielder Albert Almora Jr.. Bryant is hitting .282/.391/.487 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 38 runs scored, while Almora Jr. is hitting .321/.369/.439 with two homers, 19 RBIs and 38 runs scored.
The Cubs have lost 3.9 units and are 26-26 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 21 of those games, compared to 30 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 4.3 units and are 8-9 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over’s cashed in eight of those games, compared to nine that’ve gone under.
Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The under has cashed in five of Chicago’s last seven games.
The Cardinals have dropped five of their last six games SU.
St. Louis has posted 21.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.6 over its last five.
The Cubs have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games, including six over their last five.
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