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The St. Louis Cardinals (13-24) visit the Chicago Cubs (17-19) for the third of their three-game series! First pitch commences Wednesday at 7:40 p.m. ET. St. Louis secured a series win with their 6-4 win last night! Below we continue our MLB odds series with a Cardinals-Cubs prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Here are the Cardinals-Cubs MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Cubs Odds
St Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+146)
Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-178)
Over: 7.5 (+100)
Under: 7.5 (-122)
How To Watch Cardinals vs. Cubs
TV: MLB Network, Root Sports, Marquee Network
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 7:40 p.m. ET/ 4:40 p.m. PT
*Find out how to watch Cardinals-Cubs LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
Last 10: 3-7 (Fifth in the NL Central)
Run Line Record: 15-22 (41%)
Over Record: 18-18-1 (50%)
St. Louis looks like one of the biggest shocks of the season early on. After decades of contending in the NL Central, the Cardinals sit firmly in last place and are already over 10 games under .500. That being said, the Cardinals have shown signs of life in recent games with three straight wins. A sweep over Chicago would do wonders for St. Louis' chances of climbing back into the mix but they'll need their offense to show up against the unhittable Justin Steele to do so. Consequently, St. Louis' 12th-ranked offense needs to stay hot if they want to cover as road favorites tonight.
St. Louis saved their best for last in this three-game set as Jordan Montgomery takes the bump tonight. Montgomery (2-4) makes his eighth start of the season looking to creep one game closer to .500. Despite a poor record, the long-time Yankees starter has been solid thus far. His 3.29 ERA looks similar to last season and his 1.22 WHIP falls right in line with his career average. Montgomery has been lights-out other than one blow-up start in the middle of April. Of his seven starts, Montgomery allowed fewer than three runs in five of them and recorded five quality starts. Additionally, Montgomery blanked the Cubs last season – allowing 0 runs and picking up three wins in 22 innings of work against Chicago.
With 4.5 runs per game and 14.5 total bases per game, the Cardinals' slow start has been no fault of their offense. Reigning MVP Paul Goldschmidt has been up to his usual tricks with a .308 average, seven home runs, and 20 RBI. Three of those homers came in the same game in their bounce-back win against the Marlins on Sunday. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar quietly has turned his season around as he's hitting .393 over their last seven games. After spending two weeks on the IL last month, the five-tool outfielder finally looks to be settling in with an everyday role in hand.
Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread
Last 10: 3-7 (Third in the NL Central)
Run Line Record: 20-16 (56%)
Over Record: 15-20-1 (43%)
Chicago started the season hot as they looked like a serious playoff contender after a 14-10 start. They've fallen back to earth since then, however, and dropped two of their last three series. That isn't even taking into account this current stint with St. Louis that Chicago has already lost. That being said, they certainly have an incentive to avoid a sweep tonight against their division rival. With their ace on the bump, the Cubs just need to rekindle some of their early season magic as they still rank in the top 10 in runs per game.
Justin Steele (5-0) takes the mound for Chicago tonight in the midst of a breakout season. Through seven starts, the southpaw holds a 1.45 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Entering his third year in the majors, there was certainly optimism for the 27-year-old to take another step forward after a strong sophomore campaign in '22. No one could have expected this, however, as Steele has yet to allow more than two runs in any game. He looks to be trending upwards as well considering Steele allowed just a single run and finished walkless for the first time all season in last week's win over the Marlins. Additionally, Steele looked sharp in his lone start against St. Louis last year – allowing just a single run in seven innings of work.
Despite their offense slowing down compared to their early season heroics, the Cubs still boast a number of formidable options in their lineup. In recent games, Ian Happ served as the primary contributor thanks to his eye-popping .500 OBP. However, the buzz around Wrigleyville surrounds their recent call-ups. Chris Morel homered in his '23 debut yesterday while Matt Mervis is due for a breakout sooner rather than later.
Final Cardinals-Cubs Prediction & Pick
Despite the Cardinals taking the first two games, the Cubs should keep things tight tonight given how well Steele's pitched this year.
Final Cardinals-Cubs Prediction & Pick: Chicago Cubs +1.5 (-178)
