The St. Louis Cardinals will head north to play their divisional rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The matchup is going to be televised nationally on ESPN and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cubs are 7-7 SU and 7-7 ATS. The team’s lost 5.2 units for moneyline bettors while earning 0.2 units against the spread (ATS). Chicago has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Cardinals are 9-7 SU and have gone 9-6 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 0.6 units for moneyline gamblers this year, but have gained 2.2 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
Chicago games have had an over/under record of 6-8 so far in 2018. Cardinals games have gone under eight times, gone over seven times and pushed on zero occasions.
The Cardinals have lost 2.4 units and are 6-5 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in six of those games, compared to five that’ve hit the under against righty starters. 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 gone under.
Adam Wainwright will get the nod for St. Louis. The right-handed 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, putting together a 1-1 record with a 1.83 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
The Cubs are planning to start righty Tyler Chatwood (0-2, 4.91 ERA), who has 11 strikeouts and seven walks, as well as a WHIP of 1.82. Chatwood did not record a start against the Cardinals in 2017.
Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 4.2 runs per game overall this year as a unit. Its starters have a 5.40 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has recorded a solid ERA of just 2.09, a WHIP of 1.11 and a K/9 of 8.7. In eight games against divisional opponents, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.40 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.55.
Chicago’s hitters have produced 5.1 runs per contest, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 6.6 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .269/.350/.474 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Cubs’ hitters have been led by third baseman Kris Bryant and second baseman Javier Baez. Bryant is slashing .352/.493/.611 with 19 hits, eight RBIs and nine runs scored, and Baez’s line is .191/.309/.574 with nine hits, 14 RBIs and 11 runs.
In the visiting dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 3.5 runs per game and its starters own a 3.31 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.68 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.27, along with a K/9 of 9.63.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .244/.324/.412 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game this year, including 5.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
First baseman Jose Martinez and right fielder Tommy Pham have led St. Louis’ offense. Martinez is hitting .364/.446/.600 with 20 hits, 15 RBIs and five runs scored, while Pham is hitting .322 with 19 hits, two homers, five RBIs, 15 runs and five stolen bases.
Martinez didn’t seem to enjoy hitting against righties on the road in 2017, maintaining a slash line of .257/.333/.371 across 117 such plate appearances (compared to his overall season line of .309/.379/.518).
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- St. Louis has recorded 20.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 23.8 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games, including 10 over their last five.
