A combination of middling offense and stellar defense has made the Chicago Cubs an excellent UNDER bet. The Cubs and their opponents have averaged a combined 4.8 runs per game in Chicago’s last eight games, seven of which went UNDER for bettors. Will offense continue to be hard to find when the Cubs open a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday?
- The Cubs are 9-2 SU in their last 11 games against the Cardinals.
- The Cubs are 4-0 SU in their last 4 games when Sportsbook a series.
- The Cardinals are 4-0 SU in their last 4 games at home.
The Cubs will start Jose Quintana – who has been wildly inconsistent this season – in this one. Quintana has allowed six or more earned runs in two of his five starts but has also held opponents scoreless twice. That being said, the southpaw may be coming off his best outing of the season, as he allowed just two hits and no runs in 7.0 innings of work against the Milwaukee Brewers last Saturday.
Miles Mikolas, who spent the previous three seasons in Japan, has proven to be a steal for the Cardinals rotation. Mikolas has posted a 1.71 ERA and has thrown over 70 percent of his pitches for strikes across his last three starts. The one issue for the 29-year-old has been the long ball – but it is also worth noting that Mikolas has not surrendered a home run in his two starts at Busch Stadium this season.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Those betting on the visitors in this one found the Chicago Cubs listed at -105 at most sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. Totals bettors saw the number open in the area of 8.5; check for odds updates at Sportsbook.
Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 5.8-3.2 result in favor of the Cardinals. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
St. Louis (17-12) will face the 16-12 Cubs in this tilt. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and St. Louis vs Chicago injuries news.
The Cardinals sit at No. 10 in the current MLB power poll here at OddsShark, while the Cubs sit at No. 4 on the same chart.
Statistical Matchup
On offense, it's a battle of the St. Louis Cardinals and their No. 15-rated batting order, averaging 4.55 runs per nine innings, against the No. 6 lineup of the Chicago Cubs at 4.86 runs per outing.
Chicago brings the No. 7-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Cardinals' No. 4-ranked defense.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Cubs were saddled with a loss last time out in Yu Darvish's start, as they lost 11-2 against Colorado on Wednesday at Wrigley Field.
The Cardinals grabbed a win last time out, defeating Lucas Giolito and the White Sox 3-2 on Wednesday at New Busch Stadium.
- Chicago is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
- Chicago is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago's last 8 games
- Chicago is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
- St. Louis is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
- St. Louis is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
- St. Louis is 6-15 ATS in its last 21 games at home
- St. Louis is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Chicago at St. Louis, Saturday, May 5
