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The St. Louis Cardinals will continue their three-game series with the Chicago Cubs on Saturday at Wrigley Field. We're here to share our MLB odds series, make a Cardinals-Cubs prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
Cardinals-Cubs Projected Starters
Andre Pallante vs. Shota Imanaga
Andre Pallante (2-2) with a 4.88 ERA
Last Start: Pallante tossed five shutout innings while allowing three hits while striking out six in a win over the Colorado Rockies in his last time out.
2024 Road Splits: Pallante is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA over seven appearances and two starts this season away from Busch Stadium.
Shota Imanaga (6-1) with a 1.96 ERA
Last Start: Imanaga tossed 6 2/3 innings while allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking one in a win over the Cincinnati Reds in his last outing.
2024 Home Splits: Imanaga is 2-0 with a 1.31 ERA over six starts at Wrigley Field this season.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Cubs Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-160)
Moneyline: +136
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+132)
Moneyline: -162
Over: 8.5 (-105)
Under: 8.5 (-115)
How to Watch Cardinals vs. Cubs
Time: 2:20 PM ET/11:20 AM PT
TV: Marquee TV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cardinals are currently embroiled in a tie for the final wildcard spot in the National League. Now, they hope they can string together some hits and make a good outing to win while relying on older players and a good young player.
The Cards are struggling to hit the baseball. So far, they are 19th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, and 27th in runs. The Cardinals are also 22nd in home runs and 20th in slugging percentage.
Paul Goldschmidt has struggled this season. However, he did well against the Cubs, batting .444 (4 for 9) with two home runs, five RBIs, and two runs against the Cubs. Nolan Arenado is also struggling. Overall, he is batting .262 with 90 hits, 18 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 48 runs over 92 games against Chicago. Nolan Gorman started slow but has picked things up. Yet, he is hitting just .170 with eight hits, three home runs, six RBIs, and seven runs over 13 career games at Wrigley Field.
The Cardinals struggle on the mound sometimes. Ultimately, they are 18th overall in team ERA. But their relievers have had some success. Currently, their bullpen ranks 13th in team ERA.
The Cardinals will cover the spread if they can string together some hits and find ways to hit Imanaga. Then, they need a good outing from their starter.
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs are right behind the Cardinals in the standings. Overall, they are just not putting all the pieces together or getting the job done to gain any consistency.
The Cubs are not hitting the baseball well. Currently, they are 25th in batting average, 17th in runs, 22nd in slugging percentage, and 18th in home runs. Chicago also ranks 13th in on-base percentage.
Nico Hoerner has had an up-and-down season. Also, he has struggled against the Cardinals, batting .215 with 20 hits, five RBIs, and 13 runs over the last 25 games against them. Cody Bellinger has had a long career with some battles against the Cardinals. Substantially, he is hitting .240 with 42 hits, six home runs, 32 RBIs, and 21 runs over 49 games against them. Christopher Morel has some power. Ultimately, he is hitting .300 with one home run, 10 RBIs, and 16 runs over 28 games against the Cardinals.
The Cubs are currently finding their way on the mound. Significantly, they are 15th in team ERA. Their relievers have struggled to hold leads, such as the blown save by Hector Neris the other day. Unfortunately, their bullpen ranks 25th in team ERA.
The Cubs will cover the spread if they can produce some big innings and not leave runners stranded. Then, they need another good game from Imanaga.
Final Cardinals-Cubs Prediction & Pick
The Cardinals are 34-33 against the spread with the run-line record this season. Conversely, the Cubs are 33-36 against the spread. The Cardinals are 16-19 against the spread on the road. Meanwhile, the Cubs are just 11-20 against the spread at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals have done well as the underdog, going 24-14 against the spread. Yet, they are just 13-13 against the spread as the road underdog. The Cubs are only 7-21 against the spread as the favorite. Moreover, they are only 5-15 against the spread as the home underdog.
We expect Imanaga to have a great game again. However, we are terrified of what the bullpen will do. Because of their struggles in the back end, the Cubs will fail to cover the odds. Cardinals cover the spread and keep it close.
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Final Cardinals-Cubs Prediction & Pick: St. Louis Cardinals +1.5 (-160)
