The Chicago Cubs (45-49) travel to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals (48-44) on Friday, July 12th. This game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and televised on APLTV. The Cubs are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cardinals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Royals. First pitch is set for 7:15 CT.
Cubs vs. Cardinals Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Cardinals (-196)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Cardinals have a 6-4 record in their last 10 games, indicating strong recent form.
- The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 62-60 in the last 15 games, showing a positive run differential.
- The Cardinals have won 4 out of their last 5 home games, demonstrating strong home-field advantage.
- The Cardinals have won 2 out of 3 head-to-head games against the Cubs this season.
- The Cardinals have scored 4 or more runs in 8 of their last 15 games, showcasing consistent offensive production.
Cubs vs Cardinals
The Cubs Are Coming Off A Win
The Cubs’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Orioles, closing out their series with an 8-0 win. After scoring a run in the 3rd inning, the Cubs added three more in the 5th to break things open. Chicago went on to add another three runs in the 7th, closing things out. Heading into the game, the Cubs were the slight favorite at +115 on the money line.
Justin Steele put together a good start for the Cubs, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just three hits and struck out four. Dansby Swanson was hot at the plate, going 2/4 with a homer and two RBIs.
Chicago is 5th in the NL Central, nine games behind the Brewers. They have won four straight games and are 25-21 at home this season. Against the run line, the Cubs are 46-48, with the over hitting in 59.5% of their games with an O/U line of 8 runs.
As the road underdog, the Cubs are 14-22 this season, but they have won three straight games in that role. Their overall series record is 11-16-2, with two straight series wins.
Kyle Hendricks Gets The Start For The Cubs
Kyle Hendricks gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Cardinals on the road. This year, he has made 11 starts and has a record of 1-7. Hendricks’ ERA is 7.53, and he has a WHIP of 1.58. So far, he has only turned in one quality start and is averaging 6.68 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Hendricks took the loss, giving up two earned runs in two innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight outings. Hendricks has allowed a homer in each of his last three starts.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Cubs are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 18th in the MLB. They have been pretty consistent at home and on the road, averaging 4.1 and 4.3 runs per game, respectively. As a team, they are batting .232 and have the 16th ranked on-base percentage in the league. Chicago’s offense is 16th in home runs and has the 18th slugging percentage in the league.
Over the past five games, Michael Busch has been on fire for the Cubs, going 10/22 with two homers and six RBIs. This has pushed his season average up to .198. Cody Bellinger and Ian Happ are the Cubs’ top two home run hitters, with 9 and 14 homers, respectively. Happ’s 56 RBIs is 13th best in the league.
The Cardinals Took The Last Game Of This Series
Led by a big game by Lars Nootbaar at the plate, the Cardinals are coming off a game in which they scored five runs on 10 hits. However, they still took the loss, as the Royals scored eight runs. St. Louis was the -120 favorite at home going into the game.
Gordon Graceffo got the start for the Cardinals and took the loss. He only lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits. Lars Nootbaar was hot early, going 2/4 with a homer and two RBIs.
St. Louis is 6-4 in their last ten games and they are currently 48-44 overall, five games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. As the favorite, the Cardinals have a 25-21 record straight up, but they are just 17-29 against the run line. Their over/under record is 43-46, and the over has hit in their last two games.
When the total line is set at 8 runs, the Cardinals’ O/U record is 7-9-1. The average total line in their games this season is 8.6 runs, and the over has hit in 55.4% of their games when the total line is higher than 8 runs.
Sonny Gray Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Sonny Gray gets the start for the Cardinals today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Nationals. In that July 5th start, he gave up five earned runs in five innings of work. Gray finished with a no-decision in the outing. Before that, he had pitched well, giving up a combined two earned runs in his previous two starts. Gray’s ERA for the season is 3.30, along with a record of 9-5. Out of his 16 starts, Gray has seven quality starts and is averaging 11.17 strikeouts per nine innings.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
St. Louis comes into today’s game with the 10th best batting average in the league at .244, but they have been one of the worst home run hitting teams in the league this season. As a team, they are averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 22nd in the MLB. Looking at their most recent performances, Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras have both been swinging the bat well, with three homers each over their past 10 games.
For the season, Alec Burleson leads the team with 48 RBIs and is 2nd in the league with 15 homers. His batting average of .282 is also the 2nd best mark on the team. Nolan Gorman has also been a big power threat for the Cardinals, as his 17 homers is the best mark on the team and 11th best in the league. However, he is batting just .209 this season.
Cubs vs Cardinals Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Cubs vs. Cardinals matchup is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8 runs. We see the Cardinals coming out on top with a final score of 6-5, giving us a little bit of wiggle room if you wanted to take the Cardinals on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Sonny Gray finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Kyle Hendricks with just four. Gray also has a better chance of picking up a win than Hendricks, and we have Gray going 6-7 innings compared to Hendricks at 5-6.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:July 12, 2024 Cardinals, Cubs