The Cubs make the trip to St. Louis to face the Cardinals! These rivals have been having similar season with each struggling with consistency. The Cardinals have a winning record, but are struggling more recently. Then, the Cubs have a losing record, but have been red-hot leading into this series. Our MLB odds series has our Cubs-Cardinals prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.
Cubs-Cardinals Projected Starters
Kyle Hendricks vs. Sonny Gray
Kyle Hendricks (1-7) with a 7.53 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched two innings and gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout in a Cubs loss.
2024 Road Splits: (0-4) 8.55 ERA
Sonny Gray (9-5) with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched five innings and gave up five runs on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts in a Cardinals win.
2024 Home Splits: (6-3) 1.90 ERA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cubs-Cardinals Odds
Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-126)
Moneyline: +164
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+105)
Moneyline: -196
Over: 8 (-118)
Under: 8 (-104)
How to Watch Cubs vs. Cardinals
Time: 8:15 pm ET
TV: Apple TV+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs have a 44-49 record this season. They have won five out of their last six games and three straight entering this series. They have struggled behind the plate and are in the middle of the pack overall on the mound. In comparison, their pitching has been great and just outside the top 10. On offense, Michael Busch, Cody Bellinger, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Christopher Morel, Michael Tauchman, and Dansby Swanson make up an inconsistent and struggling offense. Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon are standouts for a pitching staff that has had to carry them at times due to how much the offense has struggled.
The Cubs are starting Kyle Hendricks on the mound where he has a 1-7 record, a 7.53 ERA, and a 1.58 WHIP. He has allowed 54 runs on 80 hits with 20 walks and 47 strikeouts through 63.1 innings. In his 16 appearances this season, the Cubs are 3-13. Henricks has struggled all season for the Cubs and has been the weak link in an otherwise strong pitching staff. He gets a solid matchup against the Cardinals because their offense has been average this season and does not offer a big challenge.
The Cubs' offense has been inconsistent behind the plate and has struggled at times. They are 23rd in team batting average at .231 after having a .254 one season ago. The offense is led by Cody Bellinger, Christopher Morel, Ian Happ, and Michael Busch in most batting categories. Busch leads in batting average at .275 and in OBP at .365. Then, Morel leads in home runs at 16, Happ leads in RBI at 55, and Bellinger leads in total hits at 84. They do get a challenge in this matchup against Sonny Gray for the Cardinals with him being one of the bright spots for the team in a solid pitching staff.
Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cardinals have been inconsistent this season, but they have a winning record of 48-44. The Cardinals have lost two straight entering this series. The Cardinals have been below average with their bats and just outside the top 10 in pitching this season. Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Willson Contreras have at least tried to stand out on a bad offense. On the mound, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Sonny Gray have been solid for a unit that has struggled this season. The Cardinals have been playing much better recently.
The Cardinals are starting Sonny Gray on the mound, where he has a 9-5 record, a 3.30 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP up to this point in the season. Through 92.2 innings, he has allowed 42 runs on 72 hits with 24 walks and 115 strikeouts. In his 16 appearances this season, the Cardinals have gone 11-5. Gray has been great for the Cardinals this season and this is a favorable matchup for him with how much the Cubs have struggled on offense.
The offense for the Cardinals has struggled this season. They are 16th in team-batting average at .244 after finishing last season with a .250 batting average by comparison. Masynn Winn, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, and Brendan Donovan lead the Cardinals in most batting categories. Donovan leads in OBP at .339 and in total hits at 92. Then, Winn leads in batting average at .286, Gorman leads in home runs at 17, and Burleson leads in RBI at 48. This offense has not played well this season, but they get a favorable matchup against Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs with how much he has struggled on the mound.
Final Cubs-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
The Cubs have more momentum than the Cardinals right now with a winning streak compared to a losing streak. The Cardinals have the better offense and a much better pitcher in Gray compared to Hendricks. The Cubs' momentum matters and should keep this close, but the Cardinals should still win and cover at home.
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Final Cubs-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals -1.5 (+105)
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