The St. Louis Cardinals (14-15) play a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs (23-15) in the Windy City Saturday. The first pitch of Game 1 is set for 5:15 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field. Below, we analyze the Cardinals-Cubs MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Series: Chicago leads 1-0.
Cardinals at Cubs: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Adam Wainwright vs. RHP Adbert Alzolay
Wainwright: 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 6.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 34 IP over 5 starts.
- Last start: Complete game win, 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K and 2 BB versus the Cleveland Indians Aug. 30.
- Career vs. Cubs: 16-13 with a 4.15 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 224 K and 79 BB in 256 IP over 50 games (41 starts).
Alzolay: 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 12.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 over 6 innings spanning 2 games (1 start).
- Last start: No-decision with 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K and 1 BB in a 4-2 Cubs win against the Cardinals Aug. 19 (his only start of 2020).
- The 25-year-old has appeared in only six games (3 starts) in his 2-year career.
Special Indiana Promotion! Bet $1 on the Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals matchup, WIN $100 (in free bets) if either team hits a home run during their game. Regardless of your team bet, you win with a homer! Place your legal baseball wagers in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM. Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
Cardinals at Cubs: Key injuries
(Get the latest injury news here.)
Cardinals
- RP Andrew Miller (shoulder) probable
- OF Dexter Fowler (illness) out
Cubs
- OF Ian Happ (eye) questionable
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Cardinals at Cubs: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 11:40 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Cardinals 7, Cubs 1
Moneyline (ML)
The CARDINALS (-106) have been up and down lately, losing back-to-back games, including a 4-1 loss to the Cubs in the first game of this series, following a 3-game win streak.
The Cubs (-106) have won four of their previous five games and are just coasting along atop the NL Central, up by 2.5 games.
Let me give you a few reasons why we are on St. Louis in Game 1 of the doubleheader:
- These teams have already met twice in 7-inning doubleheaders and the Cardinals are 2-0 in Game 1 of those meetings.
- Game 1 will be Alzolay’s 4th start ever and the Cardinals are one of his previous opponents. So the St. Louis lineup has familiarity with the young righty.
- Despite Chicago’s star power, its lineup production is more average and the Cardinals are 5-0 in Wainwright’s last five road starts.
BET CARDINALS (-106). New to sports betting? A $106 bet on the Cardinals (-106) returns a $100 profit if St. Louis beats Chicago.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
Neither side is a strong run line team: The Cardinals have a 14-15 RL record and the Cubs are 19-19 on the RL. Also, the 7-inning affair gives me pause here. PASS ON THE RUN LINE.
Over/Under (O/U)
Let’s PLAY the OVER 6 (-110). The Over is 6-2 in the last eight meetings and 6-0 in Wainwright’s last six starts against divisional opponents. I expect a good outing from Wainwright but we’ll say the Cardinals hitters get a big inning early against Alzolay.
Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @Geoffery_Clark on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]