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The St. Louis Cardinals travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Cubs for the start of a four-game set Thursday night. This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Cardinals-Cubs prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Cardinals and Cubs have met five times with the Cardinals taking three of those games. Willson Contreras and Paul DeJong each have seven hits against Chicago this season. DeJong, Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar all have home runs in the seasons series as well. As a team, the Cardinals are batting .256 against the Cubs this season. On the mound, the Cardinals have failed to record a quality start in their five games against the Cubs this season. They have a 4.70 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 7.0 K/9.
The Cubs are batting .285 against the Cardinals this season with 23 extra-base hits. Dansby Swanson has nine hits in five games, including two home runs. Ian Happ also has two home runs against the Cardinals this season. On the mound, Justin Steele has two quality starts against St. Louis, while Marcus Stroman has one. The Cubs have a 3.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 8.0 K/9 against St. Louis.
Steven Matz and Marcus Stroman will be the starting pitchers in this game.
Here are the Cardinals-Cubs MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Cubs odds
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+172)
Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-210)
Over: 8.5 (-118)
Under: 8.5 (-104)
How to watch Cardinals vs. Cubs
TV: Bally Sports Midwest, Marquee Sports Network
Stream: MLB TV Subscription
Time: 8:05 PM ET/5:05 PM PT
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Why the Cardinals could cover the spread
St. Louis will need to hit how they did in London if they want to win this game. Steven Matz is not having a great season, so the Cardinals should expect the Cubs to score a few runs. If the Cardinals can put up some runs and get to the Cubs bullpen, though, they will be in good position to cover the spread.
St. Louis is playing well since the All-Star break. They took two of three from the Washington Nationals, and they swept the Miami Marlins. The Nationals are not good, but sweeping the Marlins means the Cardinals are playing well. When a team is hot, it does not matter what they have done all season. The Cardinals have some star power, and if they get going, St. Louis is a tough team to beat.
Why the Cubs could cover the spread
Marcus Stroman has made two starts against the Cardinals this season. He was very good in one of them but struggled in the other. Overall, though, Stroman gives the Cubs the best chance to win. Against St. Louis, Stroman has a start in which he went six innings and allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out six. He struggled in his second start against the Cardinals, but I will chalk that up to the London Series being a distraction. If Stroman can pitch like he did in the first start, the Cubs will cover the spread.
The Cubs are facing Steven Matz, who has been struggling this season, especially on the road. Matz has a 6.03 road ERA in 34 1/3 innings pitched. Teams are hitting .324 against Matz in their home ballpark. With the Cubs being the home team in this one, it would not be surprising to see an offensive outburst. The Cubs have been able to put up 17 and eight runs in their past two games, so the offense has been feeling it.
Final Cardinals-Cubs prediction & pick
When it comes down to it, Marcus Stroman is the pitcher to bet on. He is very good at Wrigley Field and should be able to have a good start in this one. I expect the Cubs to win this game and cover the spread.
Final Cardinals-Cubs prediction & pick: Cubs +1.5 (-210), Over 8.5 (-115)
