The streaking Chicago Cubs will go for their fifth straight win as they play host to the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. NBC Sports Chicago will be televising the action and the game will get going at 2:20 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cardinals have gone 48-47 SU this year and are 46-48 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 9.3 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 5.3 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Cubs, on the other hand, are 56-38 SU and 48-45 ATS. The team’s gained 2.5 units for moneyline bettors and 4.5 units ATS. Chicago has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven.
Cubs games have had an over/under record of 43-49-1 so far in 2018. St. Louis has also been a decent under bet with a total record of 42-48-4.
The right-handed Jack Flaherty will get the nod for St. Louis. Flaherty (3-4, 3.24 ERA) has racked up 87 strikeouts in 75 innings so far. He’s 0-0 with seven strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against Chicago this year.
The Cubs are putting the ball in the hands of lefty Jon Lester (12-2, 2.58 ERA), who has 88 strikeouts and 41 walks, as well as a 1.19 WHIP. Lester is 2-0 with 14 strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA over three starts against St. Louis this year.
Chicago’s pitching staff has allowed 3.9 runs per game overall this season as a unit. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.90, a WHIP of 1.36 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.6. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 3.10, a WHIP of 1.28 and a K/9 of 9.1. In 41 games against NL Central foes, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.25 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.60.
The Chicago hitters have put up 5.2 runs per outing, including 4.5 per game against divisional foes and 7.2 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .286/.364/.454 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
The Cubs’ offense has been led by second baseman Javier Baez and left fielder Albert Almora Jr.. Baez is hitting .291/.325/.564 with 19 home runs, 72 RBIs, 61 runs and 18 stolen bases, while Almora Jr. is batting .318 with four homers, 28 RBIs and 48 runs scored.
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.51 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 7.99 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.52, along with a K/9 of 8.51.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .246/.318/.401 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game this season, including 4.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
St. Louis’ offensive production has been fueled by left fielder Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Jose Martinez. Ozuna is hitting .270/.310/.385 with 10 home runs, 50 RBIs and 38 runs scored, while Martinez (.299/.365/.478) is up to 13 homers, 56 RBIs and 35 runs scored.
The Cardinals have lost 5.5 units and are 11-13 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 13 of those games, as opposed to 11 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 5.8 units and are 34-36 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 32 of those games, compared to 37 that went under.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The under has cashed in just two of Chicago’s last seven games.
The Cardinals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cubs have hit eight over their last 10.
Chicago has recorded 25.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 29.6 over its last five.
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