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The Chicago Cubs (27-25) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (24-26) Sunday in the finale of a 3-game set on Sunday Night Baseball at Busch Stadium at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). 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: Cards lead 1-0
After Friday’s game was washed out, the Cubs fell 7-6 in Saturday’s affair. It was a 3-3 game before the Cards scored 4 in the bottom of the 8th to go up 7-4. The Cubs fought back, scoring 2 in the 9th but couldn’t seal the deal. 2B Nico Hoerner had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. The Cubs have lost 3 straight and are 3-7 over the last 10.
The Cardinals have won 4 straight and 9 of 11. They sit 2 games behind the Cubs for 2nd place and 5½ out of the NL Central lead. Their top 6 hitters each had a hit Saturday, and 5 of the 6 had multiple hits. After dwelling near the bottom of baseball for much of the season, their offense has climbed to 25th with 3.9 runs per game.
Cubs at Cardinals projected starters
RHP Javier Assad vs. RHP Sonny Gray
Assad (4-0, 1.70 ERA) makes his 11th start. He has a 1.11 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9 and 7.8 K/9 in 53 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 4 K Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves
- 1 career start vs. St. Louis: No-decision, 4 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 3 K Aug. 23, 2022
Gray (6-2, 2.87 ERA) makes his 9th start. He has a 1.04 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9 and 11.3 K/9 in 47 innings.
- Last start: Win, 5 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K Monday against Baltimore Orioles
- Last 5 starts vs. Cubs: 1-1, 3.20 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 40 K in 25 1/3 IP
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Cubs at Cardinals odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:03 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cubs +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Cardinals -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cubs +1.5 (-165) | Cardinals -1.5 (+140)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Cubs at Cardinals picks and predictions
Prediction
Cubs 4, Cardinals 3
Moneyline
This game is in jeopardy because there have been severe storms in the St. Louis area Sunday morning, and there are more expected in the evening. So keep that in mind if you’re using a boost or a promo that you wouldn’t ordinarily have returned if the game were to be rained out.
The Cards used their top 3 relievers Saturday night, which puts them in limbo Sunday. Facing a starter the likes of Assad, their -145 ML feels inflated. It’s more of a pick ’em to me, and for the value, I’ll take CUBS (+120).
Run line/Against the spread
I like SONNY GRAY UNDER 6.5 K’S (-145) here. He has had 7+ K’s in just 3 of 8 starts. With the threat of rain, and the potential for the game to either end early or his outing to become abbreviated, the upside is on the Under here.
Over/Under
It’s slated to be 81 degrees with a 10-mph wind blowing out to left-center. The Cards are 9-1 O/U in the last 10, and they’ve averaged 6 runs per game through that stretch. So there’s definite Over momentum here. However, with the pitching acumen on the mound, and the real threat of rain, LEAN UNDER 8 (-105).
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