Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Free Pick 09/29/19

Paul Goldschmidt and the ice-cold St. Louis Cardinals are trying to stave off their fifth consecutive loss as they play host to the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. The matchup starts at 3:15 p.m. ET and you can watch it on WLS and FSMW.

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds

The Cubs are 84-77 SU and have gone 75-85 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 12.2 units for moneyline bettors and 10.1 units ATS. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 90-71 SU and 84-76 ATS. The team has gained 5.0 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 4.5 units ATS.

St. Louis games have an over/under record of 65-83-12 in 2019. The Cubs have an over/under record of 74-75-11.

Derek Holland will get the nod for the visiting Cubs. The left-handed Holland (2-4, 5.47 ERA) has recorded 82 punchouts in 82.1 innings so far. He’s 0-0 with four strikeouts and a 2.70 ERA against St. Louis this year.

The Cardinals will send righty Jack Flaherty (10-8, 2.85 ERA) to the mound. Flaherty has 225 strikeouts and 54 walks as well as a WHIP of 0.99. Flaherty is 1-1 with 34 strikeouts and a 3.07 ERA across five starts against Chicago this year.

As a unit, St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.1 runs per game overall this year. The club’s starting pitching staff has a 3.81 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.90 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 9.8 K/9. In 75 games against NL Central opponents, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.93 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.51.

The St. Louis hitters have produced 4.7 runs per outing, including 5.1 per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .226/.326/.413 over its last five games and is 1-4 SU during that span.

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and second baseman Kolten Wong have led the Cardinals’ batters this year. Goldschmidt is hitting .256/.342/.469 with 33 home runs, 95 RBIs and 95 runs scored, and Wong is hitting .285 with 11 homers, 59 RBIs, 61 runs and 24 stolen bases.

In the other dugout, Chicago’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game and its starters own a 4.11 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 8.99 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.99, along with a WHIP of 1.30 and a K/9 of 9.07.

The Cubs offense has slashed .253/.334/.454 on its way to 5.1 runs scored per game this season, including 5.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).

Third baseman Kris Bryant and first baseman Anthony Rizzo continue to lead Chicago’s offense. Bryant is slashing .282/.382/.521 with 31 home runs, 77 RBIs and 108 runs scored. Rizzo is hitting .293/.405/.520 with 27 homers, 94 RBIs and 89 runs scored.