Cubs vs. Cardinals Pick
Are the host St. Louis Cardinals going to stay afloat in the NL Wild Card chase as they play the Chicago Cubs Wednesday night? First pitch is at 7:00PM EST.
Oddsmakers at sports book Bovada.lv have listed the Cubs and Cardinals both at -110 to win on the moneyline. The over-under is set at 8.5.
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Pitching for the Cubs will be John Lackey (11-11, 4.67 ERA), while the Cardinals counter with Michael Wacha (12-8, 4.00). Lackey holds a 1.30 WHIP with 145 strikeouts over 163 2/3 innings. He allowed three earned runs on six hits with one strikeout and two walks over four innings in a 5-4 win at Milwaukee his last start. Lackey has a 5.44 ERA in 82 2/3 road innings. Wacha has a 1.36 WHIP with 150 strikeouts over 159 2/3 innings. He surrendered two earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts and one walk over five innings in a 4-3 win at the Pirates his last outing. Wacha boasts a 3.12 home ERA over 83 2/3 innings.
Chicago is 88-69 on the season and 42-37 on the road, while St. Louis comes in at 82-75 and 43-33 at home. The Cubs have won eight of the last 10 meetings and the over-under is 5-4-1.
The Cardinals posted an 8-7 victory Wednesday night to prevent Chicago from clinching the NL Central. Matt Carpenter was 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks and two runs to lead the way. Tommy Pham was 2-for-3 with a home rund and two RBIs. Jedd Gyorko was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and two runs. Paul DeJong finished 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI. Randal Grichuk was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs. Zach Duke picked up the win in releif, while Juan Nicasio picked up his fifth save. Willson Contreras drew three walks and scored a run for the Cubs. Ian Happ was 1-for-4 with a triple and scored two runs. Mike Freeman was 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Jason Heyward was 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks and three RBIs. Ben Zobrist added a solo home run. Jake Arrieta gave up five runs (three earned) in three innings to take the loss.
St. Louis would love nothing more than to keep its rivals from celebrating the NL Central title on its home field. Wacha has been excellent at home this year, while Lackey is having a down season overall and was ejected for arguing balls and strikes the last time he faced the Cardinals. We like St. Louis, just like we did yesterday.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS -110