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The Chicago Cubs (46-49) and St. Louis Cardinals (48-45) play the 2nd and 3rd game of a 4-game set at Busch Stadium Saturday. First pitch for Game 1 of the doubleheader is set for 2:15 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Cubs vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Cardinals lead 4-2
The Cubs took down the Cardinals 5-1 as +178 underdogs in the series opener Friday as the Under (8) hit.
The last couple of months have been a struggle for the Cubs, but they are hot heading into the break. They have won 5 games in a row to pull back within 3 games of the final Wild Card spot.
The Cardinals pushed themselves into the playoff hunt with their recent play, but after winning 12 of 17 games, they have dropped each of their last 3 contests.
Cubs at Cardinals projected starters
RHP Hayden Wesneski vs. RHP Lance Lynn
Wesneski (3-5, 3.67 ERA) makes his 7th start and 24th appearance. He has a 1.10 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9 and 8.5 K/9 in 56 1/3 innings.
- Last start: Win, 6 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K in 5-0 home victory vs. Los Angeles Angels Sunday
- Prior to last start, had recorded 7 K’s in 2 straight starts; had also allowed 8 ER in 9 innings over that span
- Has been better as starter than reliever; has registered 3.41 ERA and 8.5 K/9 in 31 2/3 innings across 6 starts
- Career vs. Cardinals: 0-1, 4.91 ERA (3 2/3 IP, 2 ER), 1.64 WHIP, 14.7 K/9 in 3 appearances (1 start), including 0-1 with 9.00 ERA (1 IP, 1 ER) in 1 relief appearance this year
Lynn (4-4, 4.48 ERA) makes his 19th start. He has a 1.41 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9 and 8.6 K/9 in 90 1/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 2 2/3 IP, 10 ER (11 R), 9 H, 4 BB, 2 K in 14-6 defeat at Washington Nationals July 6
- Had allowed just 1 ER in 12 2/3 innings with an 11/1 K/BB in final 2 starts of June
- Has been much better at Busch Stadium than in away games this season; has posted 3.66 ERA and 9.8 K/9 in 9 home starts
- Career vs. Cubs (regular season): 6-8, 5.43 ERA (122 2/3 IP, 74 ER), 1.43 WHIP, 9.0 K/9 in 24 appearances (23 starts), including 0-0 with 13.50 ERA (4 2/3 IP, 7 ER) in 1 start last year
Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.
Cubs at Cardinals odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 9:51 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cubs +108 (bet $100 to win $108) | Cardinals -126 (bet $126 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cubs +1.5 (-196) | Cardinals -1.5 (+162)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Cubs at Cardinals picks and predictions
Prediction
Cubs 6, Cardinals 4
Moneyline
Lynn has been very up and down lately. He had the 2 strong starts mentioned above, sandwiched between some clunkers, resulting in a 7.14 ERA over his last 6 starts.
Wesneski has had his ups and downs as well but is coming off a strong start, and he’s looked good as a starter. In a game that looks like a toss-up, side with the team that is hot and an underdog. Back the CUBS +108.
Run line/Against the spread
This sets up to be a pretty tight game, but the odds are too high to take the Cubs and the +1.5 runs. Lynn has shown he’s capable of throwing a gem when you least expect it, so the recommendation is to PASS.
Over/Under
Both pitchers have been prone to the long ball, with Wesneski sporting a 1.6 HR/9 and Lynn boasting a 1.9 mark over his last 6 starts. With a slight breeze expected to be blowing out, siding with the OVER 9 (-105) looks like the smart play here.
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