MLB Betting Pick: Cardinals vs. Cubs – August 4th

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Date: Sunday, August 4th, 7:10 ET
Location: Wrigley Field
TV: ESPN
Money Line: Cardinals +128/Cubs -150
Total Line: 8.5

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the Chicago Cubs and the Cardinals on Sunday, August 4th at Wrigley Field. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

At 7:10 PM ET, the Cardinals and Cubs will face off in an NL Central matchup. This one is being played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Cubs are the betting favorite, with money line odds of -150. The Cardinals have a money line payout of +128, and the over/under line is 8.5 runs.

Justin Steele is starting for the Cubs, and he is facing off against Miles Mikolas for the Cardinals. The Cubs are 5th in the NL Central, while the Cardinals are 2nd with a record of 57-54.

Cardinals vs. Cubs Projected Lineup

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

St. Louis Cardinals: 57-54 SU / OU 55-53 / Runline 56-55
Chicago Cubs: 54-59 SU / OU 49-60 / Runline 54-59

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Cardinals vs Cubs series. St. Louis went into the matchup as slight underdogs and squeaked out a 5-4 win. Heading into the game, the Cardinals had lost three in a row.

Chicago had a chance to win the game late, as they scored three runs in the 8th inning and another run in the 9th, but Ryan Helsley closed things out for the Cardinals. Helsley got the save, while JoJo Romero got the win out of the bullpen.

Kyle Gibson got the start for the Cardinals, going seven innings and giving up four runs. He finished the game with seven strikeouts but allowed one home run. Jameson Taillon only went six innings for the Cubs but gave up just one run on six hits.

Cardinals Records & Recent Play

St. Louis is 57-54 overall this season, and they are 5.5 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cardinals are 17-18 in divisional games this season. They have gone 4-6 across their last 10 games and are losing the series vs. the Cubs 1-2.

At home, the Cardinals have gone 29-25 this season, and they are just above .500 at 28-29 on the road. As the favorite, the Cardinals are 29-27 this season, and they are 28-27 as the underdog. So far, they have gone 18-21 as the underdog on the road. So far this season, the Cardinals’ series record is 17-14-3.

When the Cardinals win, they win big, with an average run margin of 2.7 runs per game. When they lose, it’s usually by a wide margin, as they are outscored by an average of 3.6 runs per game. Overall, the Cardinals are 56-55 against the run line this season, and they have been a better bet as the underdog, going 37-18 against the run line in those games. They are just 19-37 against the run line when favored.

The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs. The O/U line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The Cardinals have had a combined run average of 8.7 runs per game this season. Their over/under record for the season is 55-53, and their average O/U line is 8 runs. When the O/U line has been set at 8.5 runs this season, their record is 27-14. In 24 of their games this season, the O/U line has been set higher than 8.5 runs, which accounts for 21.6% of their games. Their current over streak is at 6 games.

Cubs Records & Recent Play

Chicago is 5th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 9.5 games. Overall, the Cubs are 54-59, and they are 16-26 against other teams in the NL Central. The Cubs are leading their series vs. the Cardinals 2-1 and have an overall series record of 12-19-3 this year.

At home, the Cubs are 29-26 this year and 25-33 on the road. As the favorite, the Cubs are 24-28 this year and 30-31 as the underdog. Looking at their overall performance, the Cubs are 5-5 over their last ten games.

When betting on the Cubs, it’s been better to take them on the run line on the road this season, where they are 34-24 compared to 20-35 at home. They have been the favorite in 52 games and the underdog in 61, and they have covered the run line in just 13 of those games when they have been favored.

Chicago Cubs games have gone over the total in four straight contests, and today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is slightly higher than their season average of 8.4 runs per game. Overall, the Cubs have a 49-60 over/under record this season, with 14 of their 27 games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs going over the total.

Pitching Matchup

Right-hander Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 8-8 with an ERA of 5.00. Mikolas most recent outing came on July 28th vs. the Nationals, where he finished with a no-decision. In that start, he went six innings and gave up three earned runs on seven hits. Looking back further, he has alternated wins and losses over his last four starts. Mikolas has a total of 13 quality starts this year and is averaging 6.01 strikeouts per nine innings.

Left-hander Justin Steele gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Cardinals at home. Steele has made 17 starts this year and has a record of 2-5 with an ERA of 3.38. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back over his last three starts, Steele has given up at least two homers in each outing. He has one complete game shutout this year and eight quality starts. Opponents are batting .219 off Steele this year.

Cardinals vs. Cubs Offense Outlook

Over his last 10 games, Paul Goldschmidt has gone 12/38 (.316) with three homers and five RBIs. Goldschmidt is batting just .234 for the season, but his 17 homers are the 2nd most on the team. Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman are tied for the team lead with 19 homers apiece. Burleson’s 64 RBIs are the best in the league, while Gorman is 3rd on the team with 50 RBIs.

As a team, the Cardinals are 21st in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They have been slightly better at home (4.4 RPG) than on the road (4.0 RPG). Overall, the Cardinals are batting .246, which is 11th in the league.

The Cubs offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, averaging just 4.2 runs per game. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and batting average. However, they do have a good team walk rate and have been able to avoid strikeouts so far. Chicago’s offense is led by Ian Happ, who has 17 homers this season and is 15th in the league with 62 RBIs. Seiya Suzuki and Isaac Paredes are tied for 2nd on the team with 16 homers.

Over his last nine games, Seiya Suzuki has gone 12/35 with two homers and six RBIs. Nico Hoerner has also been swinging a good bat of late, as he is on a seven-game hitting streak. However, he is batting just .257 for the season. Michael Busch has struggled of late, batting just .207 in his last nine games.

Free Cardinals vs. Cubs MLB Pick

The Cardinals have a chance to even this series after the Cubs took the first two games, but the Cardinals picked up a win yesterday. But for the final game of the series, I like the Cubs on the money line. The last time Mikolas faced Chicago, he gave up four homers and six earned runs. Look for Chicago to win this one straight-up.