Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
From Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have the Cardinals and Cubs facing off in an NL Central matchup. First pitch for this one is set for 1:05 PM ET. Jameson Taillon is starting for the Cubs, and the Cardinals are starting Miles Mikolas.
Chicago is favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -132 compared to the Cardinals at +112. The over/under line is at 11 runs, and the Cubs will be looking to move above .500, as they are currently 34-37. The Cardinals are 2nd in the NL Central with a record of 34-35.
Check out BetCoco for Chicago Cubs – St. Louis Cardinals odds
Chicago Cubs Trends and Key Stats
- The Cardinals are 2-3 in their five most recent road games, including a 2-3 runline record.
- In the Cubs’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 2-3 (SU) with 2-3 against the spread.
- As the favorite, the Cubs are 6-4 over their last ten games, including going 3-7 vs. the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Cardinals have won 4-6 of their previous ten games straight-up, while going 5-5 against the runline.
Chicago cruised to an easy 5-1 win over the Cardinals in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a huge 7th inning, scoring three of their five runs. As for the Cardinals, they scored their only run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Cubs were favored at -181 on the money line.
Shota Imanaga pitched well for the Cubs in this one, going seven innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with six strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. Andre Pallante had a rough outing for the Cardinals, giving up five runs in just 3 1/3 innings of work.
At the plate, Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger each homered for the Cubs. Happ, Mike Tauchman, and Seiya Suzuki each had two hits and scored a run for Chicago’s offense.
Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
With a record of 34-35, the Cardinals are 2nd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 6.5 games. St. Louis will be on the road today vs. the Cubs, and they are 8-9 in divisional games this year. The Cardinals have split the first two games of this series vs. the Cubs, and they are 6-4 across their last 10 games.
At home, the Cardinals have gone 17-15 this year and are just under .500 at 17-20 on the road. As the underdog, the Cardinals are 17-20 this year compared to 17-15 as the favorite. So far this year, the Cardinals’ overall series record is 11-10-1.
When betting on the Cardinals’ run line this season, it’s been a mixed bag. They are 35-34 overall, but they’ve been a better bet as the underdog, going 22-15. Their average run margin is -0.6, and they’ve been outscored by 0.8 runs per game on the road. They are 17-20 against the run line away from Busch Stadium.
The St. Louis Cardinals have played to the under in 69 of their 69 games this season when the over/under line has been set at less than 11 runs. They have a combined run average of 8.3 runs per game this season, and their games have averaged eight runs per game in terms of the over/under line. The under has hit in six consecutive games for the Cardinals.
Right-hander Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 14 starts this year and has a record of 4-6 with an ERA of 4.85. Mikolas’ WHIP for the season is currently 1.19. In his last outing, he went seven innings, giving up no earned runs, and finished with a no-decision. Looking back over his last three starts, Mikolas has given up two homers in each outing. So far, he has allowed 12 homers this season. Per nine innings, Mikolas has 6.81 strikeouts and just 1.73 walks.
St. Louis has been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season, averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the league. They have been even worse on the road, averaging only 3.7 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .235, which is 12th in the league, and have the 18th ranked on-base percentage in the league.
Nolan Gorman has been the Cardinals’ top power threat this season, as his 15 home runs are 7th best in the league. However, he is batting just .207 for the season. Alec Burleson is batting .272 and has gone deep nine times this season. Over his last five games, Brendan Donovan has gone 5/17, and Nolan Arenado is hitting .389 in his last five games.
Chicago is 34-37 overall and is 4th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 7.5 games. So far, they are just 9-16 against other teams in the NL Central. The Cubs are looking to even up their series with the Cardinals today, and they are 4-6 across their last 10 games.
At home, the Cubs have gone 19-14 this year compared to a 15-23 mark on the road. Chicago has dropped two straight series and their overall series record is 8-12-2 this year.
When the Cubs win, they win big, with an average run margin of +2.9 runs per game. That’s a big reason why they are 35-36 against the run line this season. They are 22-16 vs. the run line on the road, where they are -0.9 runs per game. At home, they are +0.5 runs per game but just 13-20 vs. the run line.
Chicago Cubs games have gone under the over/under line in eight straight games and in 70 of their 71 games this season. Their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 30-38. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs per game, and their games have had an over/under line of 11 runs just once this season.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Cardinals at home. He has made 10 starts this season and has a record of 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA. Taillon’s WHIP for the season is 1.30, and he has made four quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Taillon finished with a no-decision against the Rays, going six innings and not allowing a run. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings. Taillon has not taken a loss since May 9th.
For the Cubs to improve their offense, they will need to get their team batting average up, as they are hitting just .227 for the season, which is 17th in the league. As a team, they are also just 20th in runs scored and have been below average in terms of home runs. One thing they have done well is draw walks, as they are 5th in the league in that category.
Christopher Morel comes into the game as the Cubs’ top power threat, with 13 homers, which is 9th in the league. However, he is batting just .198 for the season and has gone just 3/20 in his last five games. Cody Bellinger has been swinging the bat well of late, going 7/20 in his last five games and is batting .268 for the season.
Our prediction for this Cubs vs. Cardinals matchup is that the Cubs will pick up a 5-4 win at home. With the Cubs’ money line sitting at -132, this is the way we recommend playing this one.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Jameson Taillon finishing with four strikeouts compared to Mikolas with four. However, we do have Mikolas finishing with a higher ERA, as he is projected to give up three earned runs compared to Taillon, who is projected to give up two.
Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Tips
- Take the Cubs on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Cardinals (+1.5)
- Our MLB model projects 9 runs, and we suggest taking the under
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 | Out | 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 |
