The St. Louis Cardinals are heading north to face their division rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET and NBC Sports Chicago will showcase the action.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cubs are 7-7 SU and 7-7 ATS. They’ve lost 5.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline while gaining 0.2 units against the spread (ATS). The Cardinals have gone 9-7 SU this year and are 9-7 ATS. In total, the team’s gained 0.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline in this young season and 1.0 unit ATS.
Chicago games have a 6-8 over/under record thus far in 2018. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 7-9.
Right-hander Adam Wainwright is getting the nod for the visiting Cardinals. Wainwright is 0-2 with a 5.06 ERA and seven strikeouts. He has yet to face Chicago this year, but he did make three starts against the team in 2017, compiling a 1-1 record with a 1.83 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
The Cubs are handing the ball to righty Tyler Chatwood (0-2, 4.91 ERA), who has 11 strikeouts and seven walks, as well as a 1.82 WHIP. Chatwood did not record a start against the Cardinals in 2017.
St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 3.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.31 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.68 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.27, along with a WHIP of 1.25 and a K-per-9 of 9.63.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .246/.326/.414 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
St. Louis’ offensive production been powered by first baseman Jose Martinez and outfielder Tommy Pham. Martinez is hitting .364/.446/.600 with three home runs, 15 RBIs and five runs scored, while Pham (.322/.429/.475) has produced two homers, five RBIs, 15 runs and five steals.
Martinez seemed to have some trouble hitting right-handed pitching on the road in 2017. Over 117 such plate appearances, he put up a slash line of .257/.333/.371 (his total season line was .309/.379/.518).
In the other dugout, Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 4.2 runs per game overall in 2018. The club’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 5.40, a WHIP of 1.65 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.7. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 2.09, a WHIP of 1.11 and a K/9 of 8.7. In eight games against NL Central foes, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.40 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.55.
Chicago’s offense is putting up 5.1 runs per contest, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 6.6 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .269/.350/.474 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Cubs’ batters have been led by third baseman Kris Bryant and second baseman Javier Baez. Bryant is hitting .352/.493/.611 with 19 hits, eight RBIs and nine runs scored, while Baez’s line sits at .191/.309/.574 with four homers, 14 RBIs and 11 runs.
The Cardinals have lost 1.4 units and are 6-6 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in six of those games, compared to six that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 4.2 units and are 4-5 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in four of those games, compared to five that’ve cashed the under.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The under has cashed in four of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- Chicago has posted 22.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 25.4 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games, including 10 over their last five.
