In the second of a four-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals (19-6) and the Chicago Cubs (19-6) at Busch Stadium, Tyler Lyons (0-0, 0.00 ERA) and Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 5.23 ERA) get the start. The Cardinals won the last game 10-9, extending a seven-game winning streak. The game gets underway at 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May. 5 and will air on WGN, FSN-MW and MLB Network.
This is the first time Lyons will take the hill this season. He pitched 36.2 innings last season, finishing 0-4 with a 4.42 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 36 strikeoutsMatt Holliday (.329, 14 Rs, 1 HR, 14 RBIs, 2 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs. In his career against the Cardinals, Hendricks is 0-1 with a 3.06 ERA. He meets a solid St. Louis offense that’s batting .269. Miguel Montero (.298, 6 Rs, 3 HRs, 13 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and three RBIs.
St. Louis is a -125 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Cardinals perform well as a favorite with a 15-4 record and have an overall money line of +1,078. They are 8-2 as the favorite over their last 10 games. Division games have been tough for the Cardinals. St. Louis has only averaged 3.6 runs per game compared to its 4.1 season average. As for the pitching staff, the Cardinals lead the NL in ERA with a 2.21 team average.
Switching gears, the Cubs come into this game with a solid win percentage of .667 when playing as the underdog (6-3) and an overall money line of +110. Against divisional opponents, they are 10-7 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 4-2 record. Chicago is one of the top road hitting teams in the NL with an average of 9.2 hits per contest. Chicago is a terror on the base paths, ranking third in the MLB with 28 stolen bases. Chicago’s pitching staff tends to perform well when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 3.4 runs per game against teams from the NL Central, lower than their season average of 3.8.
In their previous three games this season, the Cardinals have a 2-1 record. This game will feature Hendricks (RHP) on the mound against the Cardinals, who have a 10-1 home and 16-4 overall record when they take on a right-handed starter.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Cubs lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Cardinals are 5-3. The Cubs are 5-5 in close games this season.
The Cubs are 4-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 4-1 in such matchups.
The Cubs managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cardinals who are heading in with a 9-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Cubs are 3-8. The Cardinals have a 4-1 record when opponents outhit them.
St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the league at 23rd when it comes to home runs, hitting 17 this season. Chicago ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 20.
Ranking eighth, Chicago is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.48 per game. St. Louis ranks in the top five at second with 9.25.
Ranking 11th, Chicago is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.714). St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at 10th with an OPS of .733.
The Cubs are 6-8 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Cardinals are 8-3 when they allow at least one homer.
