Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
Both the Cubs and Cardinals will be looking to move above .500 for the season, as they are each 33-36. However, the Cardinals are the slight money line favorites today, with their odds sitting at -104 compared to the Cubs at -115. This game will be televised on MARQ, and the over/under line is at 8 runs.
First pitch from Wrigley Field is set for 2:20 PM ET, and the forecast in Chicago calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. Kyle Gibson is starting for the Cardinals, and the Cubs are going with Jordan Wicks. St. Louis is currently on a two-game winning streak, and they are 2nd in the NL Central, while the Cubs are 4th.
Check out BetCoco for Chicago Cubs – St. Louis Cardinals odds
Chicago Cubs Trends and Key Stats
- 2-3 is the record of Cardinals in their last five road games. They have also gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
- In the Cubs’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 2-3 (SU) with 2-3 against the spread.
- The Cardinals are 7-3 in their last ten games as the favorite and 5-5 as the underdog.
- The Cubs are 5-5 (favorite) and 2-8 (underdog).
Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Heading into their last game vs. the Pirates, the Cardinals closed out the series with a 4-3 win. Leading up to the game, they were the slight favorite at -101 on the money line. It was a big 3rd inning for the Cardinals, as they scored two runs to take the lead, and added another two runs in the 4th to extend their lead. The Pirates scored three runs in the top of the 5th to tie things up, but St. Louis’s bullpen was able to close things out, and the Cardinals picked up the win.
Lance Lynn got the start for the Cardinals, going 4 1/3 innings, and gave up three earned runs on four hits. He also issued three walks and took the loss. Paul Goldschmidt had only one hit, but it was a home run, and Brendan Donovan scored the team’s other run, going 1/3.
St. Louis is on the road today to take on the Cubs, and they are 6.5 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cardinals are 33-34 overall and have gone 7-8 in divisional matchups this year. The team is coming off a series win, taking two of three from the Pirates.
At home, the Cardinals have gone 17-15 this year and are just under .500 at 16-19 on the road. St. Louis has won two straight games, and they are 5-4 as the road favorite this year. As for their overall record as the favorite, the Cardinals are 17-15 and 16-19 as the underdog. So far, their series record is 11-10-1.
When betting the run line on the Cardinals, it’s been more profitable to take them as the underdog. They are 21-14 against the run line in those games. They are 13-19 against the run line as the favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.5, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.5. They have covered the run line in two straight games.
The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Cardinals have a combined run average of 8.4 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 28-36. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 4-8-1. So far this season, 53.7% of their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, and their current under streak is at 4 games.
Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 13 starts this season and has a record of 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA. Opponents have hit .236 off Gibson this season, and he has a total of seven quality starts. In his last outing, Gibson finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had given up three earned runs in three straight starts. Gibson has allowed a home run in three straight outings.
So far this season, the Cardinals are averaging 3.9 runs per game, which is 24th in the MLB. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .237, which is 14th in the league, and their on-base percentage of .306 is 17th. St. Louis has been led by Nolan Gorman, who has 33 RBIs and 15 homers, but he is batting just .215.
Over his last nine games, Masyn Winn has gone 12/38, and Nolan Gorman has four homers in his last 10 games, but he is batting just .179 during that stretch. Brendan Donovan is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, and Lars Nootbaar has a hit in four straight games.
The Cubs will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Rays with a 3-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 7th inning before the Rays scored three runs in the bottom of the 7th. Chicago was the -112 favorite on the money line going into the game.
Justin Steele put together a good start for the Cubs, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out five Rays batters. However, the Cubs couldn’t close things out, and Mark Leiter Jr. took the loss out of the bullpen. The Cubs also wasted a big game from Frank Schwindel, who homered twice, going 3 for 3.
Chicago opens their series vs. the Cardinals at home, and they are 4th in the NL Central, 7.5 games behind the Brewers. Overall, the Cubs are 33-36 and have gone 8-15 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Cubs have gone 18-13 this season compared to a 15-23 mark on the road. As the home underdog, the Cubs have gone 7-4 this season, and they are 16-14 as the favorite. Chicago has dropped two straight series and are 8-12-2 in series this year.
When betting the run line on the Cubs, it’s been more profitable to take them on the road, where they are 22-16. They have a run line record of 12-19 at home. They have been the underdog in 39 games and have covered the run line in 26 of them. Their average run differential in wins is +2.9, while their average run differential in losses is -3.1.
The Chicago Cubs will be hosting the St. Louis Cardinals today, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Cubs have a combined run average of 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 30-36. The average over/under line for Cubs games this season has been 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 2-9. So far this season, 32 of the Cubs’ games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, which accounts for 46.4% of their games. Their under streak is currently at 6 games.
Left-hander Jordan Wicks gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces off against the Cardinals. He has made five starts this season and has a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 4.44. Wicks’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.48. In his last outing, which came out of the bullpen, he went 3 1/3 innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. He finished with a no-decision in that outing. Wicks has made one quality start this year and is averaging 10.25 strikeouts per nine innings. His ERA at home is 3.43 compared to 5.09 on the road.
As a team, the Cubs are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which has them 19th in the league. This is right around their season average of 4.4 runs per game at home. Overall, the Cubs are 14th in the league in home runs but have been a below-average offense in terms of batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.
Christopher Morel has been a big power threat for the Cubs this season, as he is 8th in the league with 13 homers but is batting just .205. Cody Bellinger is hitting .267 for the season and has gone 10/34 with a homer over his last eight games. Bellinger’s nine homers is 2nd on the team.
Our prediction for today’s Cubs vs. Cardinals game is that the Cubs will pick up a 6-5 win at home. With the Cubs being predicted to win straight up and a payout of -115, that is the bet we would recommend making.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Jordan Wicks finishing with five strikeouts compared to Kyle Gibson with five. As for the Cardinals offense, they are predicted to finish with nine hits compared to the Cubs with 11.
Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Tips
- Take the Cubs on the moneyline
- On the run line we like Cubs (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Chicago Cubs Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Yency Almonte | Out | Shoulder |
| Adbert Alzolay | Out | Forearm |
| Julian Merryweather | Out | Ribs |
| Ben Brown | Out | Neck |
| Caleb Kilian | Out | Teres Major |
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Nolan Arenado | Questionable | Hand |
| Steven Matz | Out | Back |
| Willson Contreras | Out | Forearm |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Giovanny Gallegos | Out | Shoulder |
| Tommy Edman | Out | Wrist |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
| Riley O’Brien | Out | Forearm |
| Lars Nootbaar | Out | Oblique |
| Nick Robertson | Out | Elbow |
