BSMW will be televising today's Cubs vs. Cardinals matchup, which gets started at 2:15 PM ET from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO. The Cardinals are the betting favorite, with their money line odds sitting at -133, while the Cubs are at +112. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
Jameson Taillon is starting for the Cubs, and he will be facing off against Miles Mikolas. Chicago comes in with a record of 46-51, while the Cardinals are 50-45. St. Louis is currently on a two-game winning streak and is 2nd in the NL Central, while the Cubs are 5th in the division.
Chicago vs. St. Louis Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Cubs at Cardinals
- Where: Busch Stadium St. Louis
- Date: Sunday, July 14th
- Betting Odds STL -133 | CHC +112 O/U 8.5
Cubs vs Cardinals Last Game Recap
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Cardinals vs Cubs series. St. Louis went into the matchup as -147 favorites and squeaked out a 5-4 win. Chicago had a late rally, scoring two runs in the 8th, but Ryan Helsley closed things out for the Cardinals.
Kyle Gibson only went four innings for the Cardinals but gave up just one hit and one earned run. JoJo Romero got the win out of the bullpen. Javier Assad struggled on the mound for the Cubs, giving up three earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work.
At the plate, the Cardinals were led by Masyn Winn, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and Paul Goldschmidt, as they were the only four Cardinals hitters to have more than one hit. Miguel Amaya hit the games only home run for the Cubs and went 1/2 with three RBIs.
Cubs Preview
After losing the first two games of the series, the Cubs won game three vs. the Cardinals and are now 8.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. Overall, the Cubs are 46-51 and have a 11-21 record vs. NL Central teams. Chicago has a 7-3 record in their last ten games and an overall series record of 11-16-2.
On the run line, the Cubs are 48-49 this season, with a 35-18 record as underdogs and 13-31 as favorites. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs, and their over/under record is 42-51. The over has hit in two straight games, and today's O/U line of 8.5 is lower than 72.2% of their games this season.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Cardinals on the road. He has made 15 starts this year and has a record of 6-4 with a 2.99 ERA. Taillon's WHIP for the season is currently 1.16. In his last outing, he went six innings, giving up two earned runs, and got the win. Before that, he had given up at least three earned runs in three straight starts. Taillon has made nine quality starts this year and is averaging 7.42 strikeouts per nine innings.
Although the Cubs offense is just 19th in the league in runs per game, they do have the league's 12th ranked on-base percentage and are 5th in the league in walks. As a team, they are batting just .235 and have the 18th ranked home run total in the league. Coming into the game, Christopher Morel has the team's top home run total, but he is batting just .199 this season and has gone 5/25 in his last six games.
Seiya Suzuki has been hot of late for the Cubs, going 10/27 in his last six games with eight RBIs. Dansby Swanson also comes into the game on a five-game hitting streak and has gone 8/23 in his last six games. Ian Happ is the team's home run leader and is 12th in the MLB in RBIs, but he is batting just .240 this season.
Cardinals Preview
St. Louis has won two straight games and two straight series on the road. They are 50-45 overall and trail the Brewers by 3.5 games in the NL Central. The Cardinals have a 15-12-2 series record this season.
When the Cardinals win, they do so by an average of 2.5 runs per game, but in losses, they are outscored by an average of 3.6 runs per game. Their games this season have averaged 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 45-47. The over/under line for today's game is 8.5 runs, and their O/U record at that line is 20-11.
St. Louis is sending right-hander Miles Mikolas to the mound today vs. the Cubs. He has made 19 starts this year and has a record of 7-7 with a 4.88 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Mikolas has a WHIP of 1.21 and has pitched much better on the road, coming in with an ERA of 4.28 compared to 7.1 at home. Mikolas is coming off a start in which he didn't allow an earned run, going 6 1/3 innings vs. the Nationals. Before that outing, he had given up at least four earned runs in three straight starts.
So far this season, the Cardinals offense has been pretty average in most categories, as they are 20th in runs per game (4.2), and have the league's 10th best team batting average at .245. They have been a little below average in terms of home runs and have a collective on-base percentage of .310. One area they have been consistent is in terms of strikeouts, as they are 18th in fewest strikeouts in the league.
St. Louis will be looking for Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman to continue their strong seasons, as Burleson leads the team with 52 RBIs and is 2nd on the team with 16 homers. Gorman has also been a solid power threat, but is batting just .209. Burleson has been hot of late, going 6/19 with two homers in his last five games. Brendan Donovan is also swinging a hot bat, as he is on a four-game hitting streak and has gone deep eight times this season.
Cubs vs. Cardinals Prediction: Cubs ML +112
Our pick for today's Cubs vs. Cardinals matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line, with the payout sitting at +112. We have the Cubs winning this one by a final score of 5-4.
Looking at today's starters, Miles Mikolas is projected to finish with five strikeouts, while Jameson Taillon is predicted to finish with four. However, we have Taillon finishing with a better ERA, as Mikolas is projected to give up more earned runs.
