The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs will face off for the third time at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Cubs-Cardinals prediction and pick.

These clubs have split the first two games of this four-game series. St. Louis has outscored Chicago 14-10 in the series and lost a tight one-run game on Tuesday. They entered the season with high hopes and now have identical 47-48 records. It's likely that they are playing for bragging rights at this point as a postseason appearance seems like a long shot.

Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Cubs-Cardinals odds.

MLB Odds: Cubs-Cardinals Odds

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Chicago Cubs +1.5 (-190)

St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+165)

Over 8 Runs (-110)

Under 8 Runs (-110)

Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

The Chicago Cubs have not performed up to their standard this season because of their lack of success on the road. They've been very good at home, but the Cubs 19-31 road record isn't going to cut it. Chicago now seems to be throwing in the towel as they intend to be sellers at the deadline. Their offense has struggled to do anything, which is the main reason why they have a -1.04 average run differential in road games. The Cubs have only won three of their last 11 road affairs coming in.

Chicago will turn to right-hander Kyle Hendricks as they look to take the series lead. Hendricks has been one of the Cubs most effective starters with a 12-4 record and 3.65 ERA through 19 starts. His strikeout numbers have been low, but the veteran starter has done of a great job of keeping the ball in the ballpark. Hendricks has impressed lately with two or fewer earned runs through at least six innings in each of his last three starts.

Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread

The St. Louis Cardinals entered the season with the highest odds of winning the AL Central and have been a huge disappointment this far. They are 8.5 games back in the division and seven games back of the second wild card spot. The Cardinals have actually shown signs of life recently with wins in six of their last eight home games to date. They've been a solid defensive club, but their fifth-worst offensive production has limited their success up to this point.

St. Louis will hand the ball to right-hander Adam Wainwright as they look to contain the Cubs lineup. The veteran starter has been effective this season with a 7-6 record and 3.71 ERA through 18 starts. Wainwright has been one of the most consistent arms in the Cardinals rotation for over a decade and the 39-year-old has a knack for getting batters out. He is 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA over his last seven starts to date.

Final Cubs-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

In a game that features two quality starting pitchers and two wildly inconsistent lineups, I expect runs to be at a premium. Kyle Hendricks and Adam Wainwright are two veteran starters that have proven to be savvy pitchers in their later years. They know how to navigate a lineup and should have no issues as the lack of life in both lineups is apparent. After a solid offensive outing in both of the first two games, it's likely that these lineups will see a regression in the third affair.

FINAL PICK: Under 8 Runs (-110)