Today’s MLB Picks: Cardinals vs Cubs

St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs
Date: Friday, June 3rd, 02:20 ET
Location: Wrigley Field
TV: Bally Sports Midwest
Money Line: Cardinals -115 / Cubs -105
Total Line: 8.0
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STARTING PITCHING

St. Louis: Miles Mikolas (3-3, 2.67)
Chicago: Marcus Stroman (2-4, 3.95)

Cardinals Projected Lineup

Corey Dickerson LF
Harrison Bader CF
Juan Yepez 1B
Brendan Donovan 1B
Nolan Gorman 2B
Nolan Arenado 3B
Andrew Knizner C
Paul Goldschmidt 1B
Tommy Edman 2B
Miles Mikolas P

Cubs Projected Lineup

Jason Heyward RF
Nico Hoerner SS
Patrick Wisdom 3B
Alfonso Rivas 1B
Andrelton Simmons SS
Willson Contreras C
Ian Happ LF
Frank Schwindel 1B
Christopher Morel CF
Marcus Stroman P

STRAIGHT UP/ OVER/UNDER / RUN LINE RECORDS

St. Louis Cardinals: 29-22-0 SU / OU 25-23-3 / Run Line W/L 28-23-0
Chicago Cubs: 22-29-0 SU / OU 25-23-3 / Run Line W/L 29-22-0The Chicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, June 3rd at Wrigley Field. The first pitch in this matchup is scheduled for 02:20 ET. The MLB Odds Board places St. Louis as the favorite (-115), with an OU line set at 8.0.

Recent Form

In St. Louis’s last game, they fell to the Cubs by a score of 7-5. On their way to giving up 7 runs, the Cardinals staff allowed 12 hits. Offensively, they finished with 5 runs on 8 hits. This defeat came despite being favored at -106.0. Through 29 games as the favorite, the team has found the win column at a rate of 66.0%. With the over-under line set at 8.5 runs, the Cardinals and Cubs combined to go over this total. This result is part of a larger trend, as St. Louis has had the over has hit in more than half of their games (25-23-3).

The Cardinals come into this game with a 3-2 record of their last 5 contests. However, even with an above .500, their run differential sits at just -3 (last 5). St. Louis comes into the game struggling on offense, averaging 3.8 over their last 5. This figure is down from their season average of 4.75. So far, St. Louis has won over half of their 17 series played, going 8-4-5.

In their last game, Chicago took down the Cardinals by a score of 7-5. On their way to giving up 5 runs, the Cubs staff allowed 8 hits. Offensively, they finished with 7 runs on 12 hits. In terms of the over-under, the Cubs and Cardinals combined to surpass the line of 8.5 runs. Overall, the team has gone over the betting line in over half of their games, going 25-23-3.

Across their last 5 contests, the Cubs are above .500, going 3-2. During this time, the team’s run differential sits at +1. Chicago is still playing winning baseball, even with their offense averaging just 5.2 runs per game, compared to a season-long mark of 4.45. Chicago has a below .500 series record of just 5-7-5.

Pitching Matchup

Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals, with an overall record of 3-3. Through 10 appearances, Mikolas has an ERA of just 2.67 while averaging 6.02 innings per appearance. Hits have been hard to come by against the right-hander, as his batting average allowed is just 0.226. Not only does Mikolas have a strong batting average allowed, but he has also avoided giving up home runs. In his previous outings, opponents are averaging just 0.75 home runs allowed per 9 innings. Mikolas has accumulated a strikeout percentage of 19.0% and a per-game average of 4.7. Leading into the game, he has shown a strong command of his pitches, averaging just 1.78 walks per contest.

The Chicago Cubs will send Marcus Stroman to the mound with an overall record of 2-4. So far, Stroman has put together an ERA of 3.95. In his appearances leading up to today, he has lasted an average of 5.39 innings. Through 8 outings, opposing teams have combined for a batting average of 0.221. Stroman is giving up home runs at a rate similar to the league average, allowing 1.04 per 9 innings. Up to this point, Stroman has a strikeout percentage of just 22.0% and a per game average of 4.75. Throughout the season, Stroman has avoided walking batters, allowing just 2.28 per contest.

St. Louis vs Chicago History

Today’s matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs will be their 1st meeting of the season. Currently, Chicago is winning the season series 1-0. Through 1 games, the series’ over-under record is 1-0, with the average run total sitting at 9.0 runs per game. In these matchups, the average scoring differential sits at 2.0 runs. Last season, St. Louis picked up the series win, 10 games to 9. In these 19 meetings, the two teams combined for an over-under record of 10-9. Last year, the Cardinals and Cubs averaged 9.0 runs per game. The average scoring differential in this series was 3.11 runs per game.

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Betting Trends

• St. Louis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
• St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
• Chi Cubs is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
• Chi Cubs is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home

St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Prediction

Heading into Friday’s NL Central matchup between St. Louis and Chicago, the Cubs will look to pick up their 4th straight win. The team’s last 3 wins have come against Milwaukee and St. Louis, who sit 1st and 2nd in the NL Central. However, I see this streak coming to an end, as Miles Mikolas should bounce back from a rough outing against the Brewers. I like St. Louis on the moneyline.

Free MLB Pick: Cardinals Moneyline