For the second of a three-game set on Wednesday night, the Chicago Cubs will enter Busch Stadium to take on a familiar foe in the St. Louis Cardinals.
Teams Previous Matchups Performance
The home team won the initial game of the slate, 6-0, as pitcher Adam Wainwright spun seven innings of scoreless baseball.
It was the second time in a row that Chicago (41-61) has been shut out, as they also struggled offensively on the road against San Francisco on Sunday.
In total, the Cubs have lost four of their last five, which puts a damper on the surge they got out to in the second half of the schedule. They sit in fourth place in the National League Central, 15.5 games out of the lead.
The opposite goes for the St. Louis Cardinals (55-48), who have done well since dropping a series at Cincinnati. St. Louis is 4-2 since then and has blanked two challengers in a row.
In their last two matchups — against Washington and Chicago — they’ve won by a combined 11-0 score. They’re trying to keep pace with Milwaukee in the grouping, trailing the division leaders by two games.
Ninth-best Lineup Batting Average
The Redbirds have the ninth-best lineup in terms of collective batting average (.251). They also are in the top 10 in MLB as it pertains to total runs, hits, and runs driven in.
First baseman and NL MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt has been the most important batter of theirs, as he leads the team with a .332 batting average — which is also second-best in all of baseball — and 81 RBIs. Third baseman Nolan Arenado has also been a big help.
Cardinals vs. Cubs Odds
MLB odds favor the home team to win its third straight in this clash. St. Louis is -1.5 on the run line at +114, while the Cubs are -137 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Cardinals are -178 and Chicago a +150 underdog. The total has been set at 8.5 runs, with the over being -104 and the under -118 at the time of this writing.
Cubs Defense
The Cubs have been a middle-of-the-road group offensively, with their .244 team batting average ranking 15th in the major leagues. They grade out on the edge of — if not in — the bottom third of the bigs in RBIs, home runs, and total runs.
Still, they’re keeping left fielder Ian Happ and catcher Willson Contreras around for at least the rest of the season, as neither was shipped off before the trade deadline. Contreras leads the order in on-base percentage (.369), while Happ has the most knocks of anyone on the team to this point.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Betting Preview
Miles Mikolas Analysis
Right-hander Miles Mikolas will take the hill for the Cardinals with an 8-8 record and a 2.86 ERA thus far. His 0.99 WHIP is the 12th best in MLB. This will be his 22nd outing this year.
St. Louis has won three of the last four times he took the mound, including a 6-2 decision at Washington on Friday. In that one, he went at least seven frames for the third time in the month of July, allowing six hits and two earned runs.
Justin Steele Analysis
Opposite of him will be 27-year-old southpaw Justin Steele, the owner of a 4-7 mark and a 3.86 ERA in 19 starts. The Cubs haven’t done well with him out there lately, dropping three of four last month. Against the Giants his last time out, he could only muster 3.2 innings of work.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Picks and Predictions
Let’s make some MLB picks after seeing the Cubs vs. Cardinals odds. All signs point to the Cards to pull out another victory here as they chase the Brewers.
The trends are too much to go against, being that Steele hasn’t thrown all that well for Chicago. St. Louis’ offense has a pair of hitters who will get to him. Go with the Redbirds to cover the spread.
MLB Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (+140)
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