The St. Louis Cardinals will head north to Wrigley Field to take on their NL Central nemesis Chicago Cubs. The matchup can be viewed across the country on ESPN and the opening pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Odds
The Cardinals are 48-46 SU and are 46-48 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 9.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.3 units ATS. The Cubs, on the other hand, are 55-38 SU and 48-45 ATS. The team has gained 2.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 4.5 units ATS.
Cubs games have an over/under record of 43-49-1 so far in 2018. St. Louis has also been a decent under bet with a total record of 42-48-4.
Carlos Martinez will get the start for St. Louis. The right-handed Martinez is 6-5 with a 3.08 ERA and 87 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with five strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA against Chicago this year.
The Cubs are turning to righty Kyle Hendricks (6-8, 3.92 ERA), who’s got 83 strikeouts and 31 walks to his credit as well as a 1.20 WHIP. Hendricks is 1-0 with three strikeouts and a 4.50 ERA in one start against St. Louis this year.
Chicago’s pitching staff has yielded 3.9 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 3.88, a WHIP of 1.35 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.6. The bullpen has a solid ERA of just 3.09, a WHIP of 1.28 and a K/9 of 9.2. In 40 games against NL Central opponents, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.20 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.59.
The Chicago offense has produced 5.1 runs per outing, including 4.4 per game against divisional foes and 5.8 per game over its last five. The team has hit .257/.340/.414 over its last five games and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
Second baseman Javier Baez and outfielder Albert Almora Jr. have led the charge for the Cubs’ offense this year. Baez is hitting .292/.326/.566 with 19 home runs, 72 RBIs, 61 runs and 18 stolen bases, while Almora Jr.’s line is .319/.357/.438 with four homers, 28 RBIs and 48 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.46 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.03 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.48, along with a K/9 of 8.51.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .244/.317/.399 on their way to 4.4 runs scored per game this year, including 4.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
St. Louis’ hitters have been paced by first baseman Jose Martinez and outfielder Marcell Ozuna. Martinez is hitting .297/.363/.476 with 13 home runs, 56 RBIs and 35 runs scored, while Ozuna (.268/.309/.385) is up to 10 homers, 49 RBIs and 38 runs scored.
The Cardinals have lost 3.8 units and are 35-35 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 29 of those games, compared to 37 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cubs have lost 5.8 units and are 34-36 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 32 of those games, compared to 37 that’ve gone under.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The over has cashed in five of St. Louis’ last seven contests.
St. Louis has recorded 24.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 20.6 over its last five.
The Cardinals have hit 12 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cubs have hit nine over their last 10.
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