Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
At 2:20 PM ET, the Cubs and Cardinals face off in an NL Central matchup. This one is being played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Cubs are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -173. The money line odds for the Cardinals are at +147. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
Shota Imanaga is starting for the Cubs, while the Cardinals are going with Andre Pallante. St. Louis has won three straight and is 34-34, while the Cubs are 33-37 and have lost two in a row. MARQ is carrying this one on TV.
Check out BetCoco for Chicago Cubs – St. Louis Cardinals odds
Chicago Cubs Trends and Key Stats
- 3-2 is the record of Cardinals in their last five road games. They have also gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- Conversely, the Cubs have achieved a 2-3 (SU) record and 2-3 record in their last five home games.
- Over their last ten games when playing as the favorite, the Cubs have won 5-5 straight-up, and have a 2-8 record vs. the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Cardinals have won 5-5 of their previous ten games straight-up, while going 6-4 against the runline.
St. Louis picked up a 3-0 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Cardinals had a huge 9th inning, scoring two of their three runs and picking up a 2-0 win. Heading into the game, the Cardinals were at +102 on the money line.
Kyle Gibson started for the Cardinals and picked up the win, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued just one walk. Jordan Wicks only went 1 2/3 innings for the Cubs, giving up two hits and no earned runs.
At the plate, Pedro Pages was the only Cardinals hitter to have more than one hit. He also hit the game’s only home run. Dylan Carlson went 2/4 with an RBI.
Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
St. Louis is at an even 34-34 overall as they are 5.5 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cardinals have won three straight games, and they are 8-8 in division play this year. St. Louis took the first game of this series vs. the Cubs.
At home, the Cardinals are 17-15 this year, and they are also 17-19 on the road. St. Louis has won two straight games as the underdog, and they are 12-15 as the road underdog this year. So far, they have an overall series record of 11-10-1.
St. Louis is 35-33 on the run line this season, and they are 17-19 on the run line on the road. They have covered the run line in two straight road games, and they are 22-14 on the run line as an underdog this season.
The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs, which is right on par with their combined run average of 8.3 runs per game this season. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 28-37 on the year, and when the line is set at 8 runs, they are 4-8-1. Their games have gone over the 8-run line in 52.9% of their games this season, and they are currently on a streak of five straight unders.
Right-hander Andre Pallante is starting for the Cardinals today as he faces the Cubs on the road. So far, he has made three starts and 12 appearances this season. Pallante’s record is 2-2, and he comes in with an ERA of 4.88 and WHIP of 1.58. In his 24 innings of work, Pallante has allowed two home runs and is averaging 4.5 walks per nine innings compared to 6.37 strikeouts. The last time he pitched, Pallante didn’t allow a run, picking up the win against the Rockies while going five innings. Before that, he had given up six earned runs in back-to-back outings.
The Cardinals offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, averaging just 3.9 runs per game. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.1 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .237, which is 15th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .306 is also 15th in the MLB. Heading into the game, Paul Goldschmidt is on a three-game hitting streak and has gone 7/27 over his last seven games.
Nolan Gorman is the Cardinals’ leader in RBIs, but he has struggled of late, going just 2/27 in his last seven games. Gorman is also batting just .211 for the season. Alec Burleson has gone 7/27 in his last seven games and is 2nd on the team with nine homers.
With a record of 33-37, the Cubs are 5th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 7.5 games. The Cubs have lost two straight games, and they are 8-16 against other teams in the NL Central. Chicago will be playing at home today, where they are 18-14 compared to 15-23 on the road.
Chicago’s overall series record is 8-12-2, and they have dropped two straight series. As the favorite, the Cubs are 16-15 this year and 17-22 as the underdog. So far, the Cubs have lost two straight games as the favorite.
When betting the run line, the Cubs have been a better bet on the road than at home. They are 22-16 on the run line away from Wrigley Field compared to 12-20 at home. As the favorite, they are just 8-23 on the run line, but as the underdog, they are 26-13. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.9, while in losing games, it is -3.1.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs is slightly below the Cubs’ season average of 8.6 runs per game. Chicago has played in 45.7% of their games with an over/under line set higher than 8 runs, and they have gone 2-9 in games with an over/under line of 8 runs. The under has hit in each of the Cubs’ last seven games.
Left-hander Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Cardinals at home. He has made 12 starts this year and has a record of 6-1 with an ERA of 1.96. Imanaga’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.03. In his 12 appearances, he has turned in seven quality starts. Looking back at his most recent outing, Imanaga picked up the win, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on seven hits. Before that, he had given up seven earned runs in back-to-back outings. So far, he has been much better at home, with an ERA of 1.27 compared to 3.11 on the road.
Chicago’s offense has been pretty inconsistent this season, as they are just 19th in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They have been even worse in terms of batting average, as they are just 23rd in the league in that category. One thing the Cubs do well is draw walks, as they are currently 5th in the league in that category.
Christopher Morel has struggled at the plate for the Cubs this season, batting just .202. However, he does lead the team with 13 homers and is 15th in the league in RBIs. Cody Bellinger has also been a solid run producer, as he is 2nd on the team in RBIs and has a batting average of .262.
Looking at the money line, we really like the payout for the Cardinals at +147. We actually have the Cardinals winning this game 5-4, giving us a lot of value with the Cardinals on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we do have Shota Imanaga with a better chance of picking up a win than Andre Pallante. However, we have Imanaga finishing with six strikeouts compared to Pallante with five.
Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Tips
- We like the Cardinals on the moneyline (+147)
- The Cardinals are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 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 |
| Jordan Wicks | Doubtful | Oblique |
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
