St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Betting Pick 09/21/19

The St. Louis Cardinals will be taking the field against their NL Central rival Chicago Cubs. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET and WGN will broadcast the matchup.

St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Odds

The Cubs are 82-72 straight up (SU) and 74-79 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 5.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 4.7 units ATS. Chicago has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Cardinals are 87-67 SU and have gone 80-73 against the spread. They’re up 5.2 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 4.8 units ATS. St. Louis is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven.

Cubs games have a 70-72-11 over/under record in 2019. St. Louis has been a great under bet with a total record of 61-80-12.

The right-handed Dakota Hudson is the probable starter for the visiting Cardinals. Hudson is 16-7 with a 3.35 ERA and 124 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cubs this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.

The Cubs are sending lefty Jose Quintana (13-8, 4.37 ERA) to the mound. Quintana has 144 strikeouts and 44 walks to his credit, along with a WHIP of 1.34. Quintana is 1-0 with eight strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA across two starts against St. Louis this year.

St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.78 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 7.98 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 3.75, along with a K-per-9 of 9.78.

Cardinals hitters have slashed .245/.323/.412 on their way to 4.7 runs scored per game in 2019, including 5.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and second baseman Kolten Wong have led St. Louis’ hitters. Goldschmidt is slashing .258/.346/.469 with 31 home runs, 89 RBIs and 90 runs scored, while Wong (.285/.361/.423) is up to 11 homers, 59 RBIs, 61 runs and 24 stolen bases.

In the home-team dugout, Chicago’s pitching staff has given up 4.3 runs per game overall this season. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 4.08, a WHIP of 1.30 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.9. The bullpen has a 3.87 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 9.1 K/9. In 68 divisional games, Cubs starters have an ERA of 3.92 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.99.

Chicago’s offense has put up 5.1 runs per outing, including 5.1 per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .205/.283/.325 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that stretch.

The Cubs’ batters have been led by third baseman Kris Bryant and shortstop Javier Baez. Bryant is hitting .284/.381/.525 with 31 home runs, 77 RBIs and 107 runs scored, while Baez’s line sits at .281/.316/.532 with 29 homers, 85 RBIs and 89 runs.

The Cardinals have lost 2.6 units and are 13-17 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in 15 of those games, compared to 10 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cubs have netted 2.4 units and are 61-60 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 57 of those games, as opposed to 55 which went under the total.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs MLB Tip

Predictions: SU Winner – Cubs, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER