Odds, Picks and Predictions
- The Chicago Cubs are 68-63 against the run line this season.
- The St. Louis Cardinals are 75-56 against the run line this year.
- The Cubs are 35-29 against the run line when playing on the road.
- The Cardinals are 38-26 against the run line when playing at their home field.
- Chicago is 56-39 against the run line as an underdog this year.
- St. Louis is 43-33 against the run line as a favorite this season.
The Chicago Cubs (56-75) and St. Louis Cardinals (75-55) prepare to go head-to-head in a Friday night NL Central affair.
The Cubs snapped a four-game losing streak with a win against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Chicago had an off-day on Thursday and will prepare to kick off September on Friday in St. Louis.
The Cardinals have won four of their past five games overall. The Cardinals’ last game also came on Wednesday and will start the month of September at home against the Cardinals. This month will be crucial for St. Louis as they aim to wrap up the NL Central division.
The first pitch is scheduled for 8:15 PM EST on Friday, September 2nd, 2022, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Teams | Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
Cubs | +212 | O/8 | +1.5 |
Cardinals | -235 | O/8 | -1.5 |
Top Sportsbooks Odds
- BetOnline: Cardinals -1.5
- Bovada: Cardinals -1.5
- MyBookie: Cardinals -1.5
- BetUS: Cardinals -1.5
- BetNow: Cardinals -1.5
TOP #3 Sports Betting Sites to Bet on MLB
The Cardinals are unsurprising favorites. St. Louis has played a tremendous brand of baseball as of late, and they should be able to continue rolling against the lowly Cubs.
But Chicago has been pretty good against the spread. So bettors need to do some research before automatically placing their bets on the Red Birds.
Let’s go ahead and take a look at the Cubs and Cardinals betting preview for this game.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview
Chicago Cubs Preview
The Cubs have struggled as of late. Their pitching has labored mightily over the past few weeks. Chicago has allowed at least five runs in each of their past games. Even in their most recent victory, the offense needed to score seven runs since Chicago allowed five runs to score.
The harsh reality is that pitching has been a problem all year. On the season, the Cubs rank 23rd in team ERA, 24th in WHIP, 28th in home runs surrendered, and 22nd in batting average against.
Meanwhile, the Cubs’ offense has been better. They are 18th in team batting average, 17th in OBP, 14th in slugging percentage, 22nd in runs scored, and 15th in home runs. Those numbers are not great, but their lineup has been their backbone, given the pitching shortcomings.
With all of that being said, this is a team that has performed admirably against the run line. They 68-63 ATS overall in 2022. They have consistently upset the spread off as underdogs as well.
But can they upset the odds on Friday?
The Cubs will send Adrian Sampson (1-4, 3.97) to the mound on Friday.
St. Louis Cardinals Preview
The Cardinals are establishing themselves as one of the better teams in the NL. They are not quite on the Mets or Dodgers levels, but St. Louis will be a force down the stretch and into the postseason.
The NL Central was a competitive battle between the Cardinals and Brewers for most of the season. But St. Louis got red hot in August while the Brewers faltered in a major way. As a result, the Cardinals hold a commanding 6.5-game lead in the division.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee is just trying to clinch a Wild Card spot. They are currently three games out of the Wild Card.
But St. Louis understands that they cannot afford to take anything for granted. They are going to keep playing as hard as they can this month.
On the season, the Cardinals are fifth in batting average, second in OBP, third in slugging, fourth in runs scored, and sixth in home runs. This is one of the better offenses in the National League.
Pitching-wise, they are 11th in team ERA, 15th in WHIP, sixth in home runs surrendered, and 16th in batting average against.
Hitting is this team’s strong suit. But the Cardinals have plenty of capable arms on their staff.
Jordan Montgomery (7-3, 3.28) is the scheduled starter for St. Louis. He’s been effective since the Cardinals acquired him, and he will look to get the job done against the Cubs in St. Louis.
Injury Report
The Cubs have a number of different players on the injured list. Patrick Wisdom and Steven Brault are the most recent Chicago players to go down with injuries. Wison was placed on the 10-day IL due to a strained finger, while Brault is on the 15-day IL with a shoulder strain.
Chicago’s injury woes have played a part in their difficult campaign. But they were not expected to compete anyways. Nonetheless, they will certainly hope for a healthier 2023 season.
For the Cardinals, Jack Flaherty has been making rehab starts and could rejoin the team soon. However, it is unclear what role he will be utilized in.
He is expected to return as a starter. But due to his long injury absence, there is a small possibility that the Cardinals bring him back as a multi-inning reliever. The odds of that are slim, but it is something that would serve them well during the playoffs.
Steven Matz and Alex Reyes are other injured Cardinals players. But for the most part, this is a healthy ball club ahead of the stretch run.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Predictions
So which team should you roll with in this game?
The Cardinals are the clear pick to click. Yes, the Cubs have performed well ATS overall. But St. Louis should be able to take care of both the ATS and straight-up odds in this one.
The Pick:
Go ahead and take the St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 with your betting selection in this Friday night National League Central battle.
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