Carlos Martinez (8-3, 2.89 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (50-24) square off against Jason Hammel (5-2, 2.65 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs (39-34) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the last of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 8-1, continuing a five-game winning streak. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jun. 28 and can be seen on ESPN.
Martinez is 0-0 with a 6.43 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts against the Cubs. Kolten Wong (.292, 40 Rs, 9 HRs, 36 RBIs, 6 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Hammel is 1-2 with a 6.10 ERA against the Cardinals in his career. He is up against a quality St. Louis offense that’s batting .265. Anthony Rizzo (.306, 42 Rs, 15 HRs, 43 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
St. Louis is a -135 favorite against Chicago and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Cardinals have recorded an overall money line of +2,134 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 40-14. St. Louis is an impressive 7-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Cardinals, who have a team ERA of only 2.66. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cardinals, who rank fifth in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.0.
In games where it is the underdog, Chicago has a 16-14 record and an overall money line of +288. They are 6-7 as the underdog against teams in their division, and 17-15 SU. The Cubs allow 3.8 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 2.6 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Cubs are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.20 for the season.
The Cardinals have controlled the season series, 6-2. The Cardinals have a great 24-4 record at home (42-15 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Hammel takes the mound. Martinez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Cubs, who have a 33-29 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, St. Louis is 21-8, while Chicago is 16-15.
The Cardinals managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are coming in with a 21-9 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Cardinals have a slight leg up on the Cubs, as the Cardinals have won their last five games while the Cubs have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 34-8. The Cubs have a 26-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the bottom half of the league based on total runs this season, St. Louis ranks 17th with 305 runs and Chicago is 20th with 294.
Ranking ninth, St. Louis is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 231 this season. Chicago ranks in the top five at fourth with 244.
When the Cardinals hit at least one home run, they are 31-10. When the Cubs hit at least one homer, they have a 25-15 record.
