Sunday Night Baseball Prediction
The ESPN Sunday Night Baseball matchup features NL Central rivals squaring off at historic Wrigley Field tonight as the Cubs host the Cardinals at 7:05 p.m. ET. Will the Cardinals make it three straight versus their division rivals?
977 St. Louis Cardinals (-101) at 978 Chicago Cubs (-107); o/u 12.5
Dakota Hudson vs. Jon Lester
7:08 p.m. ET, Sunday, Wrigley Field
St. Louis Cardinals DFS Spin
Paul DeJong belted a solo homer to propel the Cardinals to a 5-1 victory in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cubs. DeJong kicked off the scoring with a lead-off homer to left field in the second inning. It was his second long ball in his last six games and third of the season. He was a thorn in the Cubs side, going 2-for-6 with a homer and three RBI over two contests, as the Cardinals swept the pivotal doubleheader. The 27-year-old shortstop is slashing .300/.359/.486 with nine runs scored, three home runs, 15 RBI and one stolen base in 78 plate appearances. He’s traded some over-the-fence pop for batting average and fantasy managers will take that swap if he continues to tear the cover off the ball.
Chicago Cubs DFS Spin
Javier Baez went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts as the Cubs fell to the Cardinals in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. It was a forgettable nightcap for the entire Cubs lineup, which mustered only one run on three hits in the seven-inning affair. The 27-year-old shortstop collected only one hit in six at-bats as the Cubs were swept in the twin-billing. He’s endured a brutal 2020 campaign at the plate, hitting .195/.233/.362 with 19 runs scored, six home runs, 18 RBI and one stolen base across 159 plate appearances.
Cardinals vs. Cubs Betting Prediction
I like the value in the Cards tonight. Hudson has pitched well in his last two starts, surrendering just two runs (one earned) on four hits over seven innings of work in his last outing, as well as two runs on three hits over six innings in his start prior. He’s now 1-2 with a 2.77 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, which is huge considering he struggled with walks and home runs a year ago. As long as he’s throwing strikes, the sinker-baller has been hard to do damage against.
As for Lester, he has a winning record at 2-1 but nothing is trending in the right direction. After a fast start in 2020, his ERA has ballooned to 5.11 in his five starts and 37 innings of work. His WHIP is up to 1.32 and he has just 25 strikeouts in 37 innings. Over his last four starts, Lester allowed five runs or more in three of those outings and with the Cardinals now 7-2 in their last nine games at Wrigley, I’m backing the road squad.
ESPN SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL BETTING PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS -101