The Chicago Cubs are traveling south to Busch Stadium to face off against their division rival St. Louis Cardinals. The game will start at 8:15 p.m. ET and the matchup will be televised on WLS and FSMW.
Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Both teams have matching moneyline odds (-105) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this night game at eight runs (-115 for the over and -105 for the under). Runline odds sit at +140 for betting the Cubs -1.5 runs and -160 for the Cardinals +1.5.
The Cubs are 38-27 SU and are 33-32 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 2.3 units for moneyline bettors, despite having gained 1.7 units ATS. Chicago has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in six of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 36-30 SU and 31-35 ATS. They’ve lost 4.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 4.1 units ATS. St. Louis has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.
Cardinals games have an over/under record of 25-37-4 thus far in 2018. The Cubs have also been a good under bet with a total record of 26-38-1.
Southpaw Jon Lester is projected to start for Chicago. Lester is 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA and 66 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with 11 strikeouts and a 1.59 ERA against St. Louis this year (two starts).
The Cardinals are turning to righty Michael Wacha (8-1, 2.47 ERA), who has 67 strikeouts and 30 walks to his name as well as a WHIP of 1.11. Wacha is 0-0 with five strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA in one start against Chicago this year.
Chicago’s pitching staff allowed 3.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.51 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 8.16 K/9. The bullpen has an outstanding ERA of just 2.67, along with a K-per-9 of 9.35.
The Cubs offense has slashed .258/.341/.415 on its way to 4.9 runs scored per game this season, including 4.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 2.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-3 SU).
Third baseman Kris Bryant and second baseman Javier Baez continue to lead Chicago’s offense. Bryant is slashing .281/.391/.481 with eight home runs, 29 RBIs and 36 runs scored. Baez (.255/.286/.519) is up to 14 homers, 46 RBIs, 37 runs and 12 stolen bases.
In the home-team dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff has given up 4.0 runs per game overall in 2018. The club’s starters have an ERA of 3.11, a WHIP of 1.19 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.0. The bullpen has a 4.39 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 8.7 K/9. In 34 divisional games, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.12 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.17.
St. Louis’ offense is putting up 4.3 runs per contest, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 3.6 per game over its last five. The team has hit .257/.299/.401 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that span.
First baseman Jose Martinez and left fielder Marcell Ozuna have led the Cardinals’ hitters this year. Martinez is hitting .321/.389/.517 with 10 home runs, 42 RBIs and 32 runs scored, while Ozuna’s line is .286/.335/.419 with eight homers, 37 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
The Cubs have lost 4.8 units and are 25-26 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 20 of those games, compared to 30 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 3.3 units and are 8-8 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in seven of those games, compared to nine which went under the total.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in just one of Chicago’s last seven games.
The Cubs have lost three of their last four games SU while the Cardinals have dropped three of their last four.
St. Louis has posted 21.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 20.8 over its last five.
The Cubs have hit four home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit 13 over their last 10.
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