The St. Louis Cardinals will face off against their NL Central foe Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The action starts at 2:20 p.m. ET and fans can catch the game on WLS and FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cubs are 7-8 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 are 10-7 SU and have gone 9-7 ATS. In total, the team’s gained 0.5 units for moneyline gamblers through the early portions of the season and 1.0 unit ATS.
Cubs games have a 6-8 over/under record so far in 2018. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 7-9.
The right-handed Luke Weaver is projected to start for the visiting Cardinals. Weaver is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 17 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cubs this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-1, 24.00 ERA and three strikeouts over three innings).
The Cubs are putting the ball in the hands of lefty Jon Lester (1-0, 4.40 ERA), who has 11 punchouts and seven walks, as well as a 1.67 WHIP. Lester made five starts against the Cardinals in 2017, compiling a 2-1 record with a 2.93 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 3.5 runs per game and its starters own a 3.14 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 8.69 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.36, along with a WHIP of 1.26.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .244/.330/.408 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game this season, including 5.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (5-0 SU).
First baseman Jose Martinez and right fielder Tommy Pham have led St. Louis’ hitters. Martinez is hitting .339/.429/.559 with three home runs, 15 RBIs and five runs scored, while Pham is hitting .323 with two homers, five RBIs, 16 runs and five steals.
Martinez enjoyed hitting against lefty pitching on the road last year, maintaining a slash line of .474/.545/.895 across 44 such plate appearances (his overall season line was .309/.379/.518).
For the home team, Chicago’s pitchers have given up 4.3 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starters have an ERA of 5.31, a WHIP of 1.65 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.0. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 2.37, a WHIP of 1.18 and a K/9 of 9.0. In nine games against NL Central opponents, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.44 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.94.
The Chicago hitters have put up 5.0 runs per contest, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 6.2 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .251/.354/.444 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Cubs’ hitters have been led by third baseman Kris Bryant and second baseman Javier Baez. Bryant is hitting .328/.473/.569 with 19 hits, eight RBIs and nine runs scored, while Baez’s line sits at .235/.339/.667 with five homers, 16 RBIs and 12 runs.
The Cardinals have gained 1.9 units and are 3-1 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in one of those games, compared to three 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 righty starter. The over has cashed in four of those games, compared to five that went under.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in three of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- Chicago has posted 23.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 23.4 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games, including 10 over their last five.
