Cardinals vs. Cubs Pick
The St. Louis Cardinals and rival Chicago Cubs open up a series at Wrigley Field Friday afternoon at 2:20PM EST.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Cubs are listed as a -123 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Cardinals are a +103 underdog and the total has not been set yet due to park wind factors.
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Pitching for St. Louis will be Carlos Martinez (11-10, 3.33 ERA), while John Lackey (11-11, 4.65) goes for the Cubs. Martinez has a 1.18 WHIP with 200 strikeouts over 189 innings. He allowed two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks over six innings in a 4-3 win over the Pirates his last start. Martinez has a 3.48 ERA over 15 home starts. Lackey holds a 1.28 WHIP with 140 strikeouts in 155 innings. He surrendered two earned runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and two walks in seven innings in a 2-0 loss at home to the Brewers his last start. He has a 3.89 ERA in 13 home starts.
St. Louis is 77-69 overall and 35-37 on the road, while Chicago comes in at 80-66 and 43-32 at home. The Cubs have won seven of the last 10 meetings and the over-under is 4-5-1.
The Cardinals won two out of three at home over the Reds including a 5-2 win the series finale. Luke Weaver allowed one unearned runs on two hits with six strikeouts and no walks over six innings to get the win. Tommy Pham finished 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, two runs and two RBIs. Jose Martinez went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. The Cubs are coming off a three-game home sweep over the Mets, winning Wednesday night’s finale by a count of 14-6. Jon Jay was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Kris Bryant was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs and two RBIs. Anthony Rizzo finished 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs. Kyle Schwarber went 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Albert Almora had a double, a run and two RBIs off the bench. Javier Baez had a hit and scored two runs. Jason Heyward went 1-for-4 with a home run, two runs and four RBIs. Mike Montgomery threw two scoreless innings to get the win in relief.
The Cubs are facing a much tougher task than the Mets presented, going against a bonafide ace and a division rival. The Cardinals are in need of every win they can muster as they chase the second NL Wild Card spot. Lackey has put together a strong second half, but he’s still not quite the caliber of Martinez. Chicago is due for an offensive letdown and this provides a perfect formula.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS +103