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The Chicago Cubs take on the St. Louis Cardinals in London. Our MLB London Series odds package has our Cubs Cardinals prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Cubs Cardinals.
The London Series returned to Major League Baseball on Saturday after a four-year break. The Cubs and Cardinals brought baseball back to England after the Yankees and Red Sox made the initial trip in 2019. Everyone wondered how London Stadium would play, and how the pitchers and hitters would react.
It turns out that the better pitcher, better team, and better lineup won. It wasn't more complicated than that. The Cubs won their ninth game in a 10-game span, crushing the Cardinals 9-1 on Saturday evening in London. Ian Happ hit two home runs, and Chicago starter Justin Steele was excellent in the first six innings before the bullpen came in for the final three. The Cardinals looked like the same bad team they have been over the past three months.
There is one key difference for this game on Sunday, however. The Saturday game started close to 6:10 p.m. local time in London. Sunday's game — which begins just after 7 a.m. Pacific time in the United States — starts just after 3 p.m. in London, a true day game. The temperature is supposed to be near 90 degrees, so the ball is likely to jump even more than it did on Saturday, when the first-pitch time was 81 degrees and got cooler over the course of the evening. Sunday's game will have a consistently higher temperature. Notable is the fact that the pregame over-under for Saturday's game was 13.5, and the game went well under the number at 10 runs. Sunday's conditions offer the possibility that we will see more homers, not fewer. There were three on Saturday. Let's see about Sunday afternoon.
Here are the Cubs-Cardinals MLB London Series odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB London Series Odds: Cubs-Cardinals Odds
Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+104)
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-125)
Over: 12.5 (-120)
Under: 12.5 (-102)
How To Watch Cubs vs Cardinals
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:10 a.m. ET/7:10 a.m. PT
*Watch Cubs-Cardinals LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread
The Cubs are a better team than the Cardinals. It was true for three months, and it was very true on Saturday. The Cubs took better swings, produced better at-bats, played better defense, and got better pitching. They're just better. If you need more reasons to pick the Cubs, though, here's an obvious one: Marcus Stroman, the ERA leader among National League starters, is on the mound. Stroman has been brilliant this season, posting a 2.28 ERA heading into the last week of June. Justin Steele was very strong on Saturday against the Cardinals. There's no reason to think that Stroman can't — or shouldn't, or won't — be just as good if not better on Sunday.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
The Cardinals were embarrassed in London on Saturday. They were non-competitive. Even though Stroman is an elite pitcher, and even though the Cubs have won nine of ten games, the Cardinals have professional pride. They will want to put on a good show for the crowd at London Stadium. They will want to make sure their trans-oceanic trip produces at least one win. They know they're not completely out of it in a National League Central which is up for grabs. The Cardinals will be motivated, and motivation can carry a team a long way.
Final Cubs-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
The Cubs are better. Stroman is better. This is a clear pick to make.
Final Cubs-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cubs -1.5
