The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals will meet in a battle of NL Central rivals as the two teams clash on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Cubs-Cardinals prediction and pick.

 

The Cubs defeated the Cardinals 3-0 on Friday night. Chicago scored early when Nico Hoerner cracked a two-run bomb in the second inning to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Then, Ian Happ added an RBI double that put the Cubbies up 3-0. That would be all the scoring either team would do as the Cubs held the Cards scoreless. It was the Cubs' third win in a row at Busch Stadium. 

Kyle Hendricks pitched a masterful game, with 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball, allowing five scattered hits. David Robertson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to notch the save. Alternatively, Andre Pallante allowed three earned runs on seven hits through six innings of work. The Cubs are 27-44 and in fourth place in the NL Central. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are 40-33 and in a first-place tie in the NL Central. 

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Cubs-Cardinals odds:

MLB odds: Cubs-Cardinals Odds

Cubs: +1.5 (-126)

Cardinals: -1.5 (-104)

Over: 9 (-105)

Under: 9 (-115)

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Why The Cubs Could Cover The Spread

The Cubs have won three in a row at Busch Stadium. Today, they will throw Adrian Sampson on the mound. Sampson returns to the majors after the Cubs sent him down on Monday. He has pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Cubs in 2022. It may look like a bullpen game for the Cubs, who may be happy if Sampson can give them four or five innings. However, the Cubs do not have a good bullpen, as they rank 27th in bullpen ERA. 

The offense has a few weapons. Happ and Patrick Wisdom are the best chance against the Cardinals. Happ contributed against the Cards on Friday and has been excellent against St. Louis in 2022. He is batting .391 with one home run and four RBIs and two runs scored through six games against the Cards. Additionally, Happ is batting .276 with 19 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 35 runs scored in 74 games in his career against the Cardinals. Wisdom has not done as well. He is batting .200 with one home run, five RBIs, and four runs in six games against the Cards in 2022. Likewise, he has struggled against St. Louis since he came into the league, batting .191 with four home runs, 10 RBIs, and 12 runs through 18 games. His stats relate that he is a ‘boom or ‘bust' player against the Cardinals. 

The Cubs will cover the spread if they can hold the Cardinals' lineup down and pitch a solid game. Sampson and the bullpen must throw quality pitches and keep the Cardinals' hitters off balance. Also, Happ and Wisdom must see the ball well and deliver clutch hits when needed. 

Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread

The Cards are the better team in every facet of the game. However, they have struggled recently, and also lost three in a row at home to the Cubs. They will roll with Miles Mikolas on the hill today. Mikolas is 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA. He lasted 6 1/3 innings in his last start, allowing two earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Additionally, Mikolas has tossed at least six innings over three straight starts. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in three consecutive starts. Mikolas had one outing against the Cubs this season, lasting five innings while allowing four earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and three walks. He is 4-2 with a 2.08 ERA in 12 lifetime appearances against the Cubs. 

The offense runs on Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Goldschmidt is batting .217 with one home run, four RBIs, and six runs scored through six games against the Cubs in 2022. However, he has destroyed the Cubs throughout his career, batting .306 with 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, and 66 runs scored over 97 games. Arenado is batting .208 with four RBIs and three runs scored over six games against the Cubs in 2022. Also, he is batting .263 with 15 home runs, 54 RBIs, and 38 runs scored in 68 career games against the Cubs. 

The Cardinals will cover the spread if Mikolas can give them a solid start, lasting six innings and allowing two or fewer runs. Additionally, Goldschmidt and Arenado must respond and come through in the clutch. 

Final Cubs-Cardinals Prediction & Pick

The Cardinals look to end a modest two-game losing streak. They have the talent and the pitcher to do it. Expect the Cards to score early and hammer the weak Chicago bullpen. The Cardinals win and cover the spread. 

Final Cubs-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals: -1.5 (-104)