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The St. Louis Cardinals (44-55) end their 4-game series with the Chicago Cubs (47-51) Sunday. First pitch from Wrigley Field is at 2:20 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Cardinals vs. Cubs odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Tied 4-4
Multiple rain delays pushed Saturday’s game back for hours and the Cubs used RHP Michael Fulmer as an opener before LHP Drew Smyly took over. Despite the strategic move by manager David Ross, the Cubs were playing catch-up the whole day.
Chicago trailed 1-0, 3-1, 5-3 and 6-5 before moving in front for the 1st time with 3 runs in the 6th inning. Cody Bellinger had a 2-run single and Seiya Suzuki followed with an RBI single, giving the Cubs an 8-6 lead. Bellinger drove in 4 runs and the 2019 NL MVP is batting .382 (42 for 110) with 21 RBI in his last 30 games.
The Cardinals, who are in 4th place and trail their NL Central rivals by 3 1/2 games, got HRs from Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman. St. Louis has dropped 2 in a row after a 6-game win streak.
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Cardinals at Cubs projected starters
LHP Jordan Montgomery vs. RHP Jameson Taillon
Montgomery (6-7, 3.14 ERA) makes his 20th start. He has a 1.22 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 8.3 K/9 in 109 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K in a 5-2 home win vs. Miami Marlins on Tuesday
- Has .234 opponent batting average in his 9 road starts
Taillon (3-6, 6.05 ERA) makes his 17th start. He has a 1.39 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 7.8 K/9 in 77 1/3 innings.
- Last start: No-decision, 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K in 17-3 win versus the Washington Nationals on Tuesday
- Home starts: 1-4, 7.06 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP
Cardinals at Cubs odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:12 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cardinals -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Cubs +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cardinals -1.5 (+110) | Cubs +1.5 (-135)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Cardinals at Cubs picks and predictions
Prediction
Cardinals 3, Cubs 2
Moneyline
You woud expect Cubs’ starter Taillon to be more relaxed at Wrigley Field, but his splits are oddly reversed. On the road he allows just a .214 batting average and a 1.14 WHIP. But at home with the fans rooting for him it explodes to a .320 average and a 1.59 WHIP.
And this Cubs team struggles without rest. They are 37-48 on back-to-backs vs. 10-3 when they get a break.
BET CARDINALS (-145).
Run line/Against the spread
St. Louis’s ATS record has been dependent on whether they are the favorite or the underdog. As an underdog, St. Louis is 29-13 ATS, which is 4th-best in MLB. But as a as a favorite that record is 21-36. And against the NL Central the Cardinals are 11-17.
The Cubs aren’t much better with their 12-14 record ATS. Plus they have lost 20 straight games without covering, so I will PASS.
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Over/Under
While the Cardinals trend toward the Over this season (49-46-4), its almost all thanks to their home games (28-17-1). On the road they have the 4th-best Under record in MLB (28-21-2).
And in the last 3 games the Cardinals and Cubs have averaged the 4th (9.33) and 5th (8.67) most hits per game. I expect a regression to come today.
LEAN UNDER (+100).
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