Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Game Picks 8/1/2019
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Busch Stadium
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Jack Flaherty
Javier Baez and the Chicago Cubs (56-50, 2nd in NL Central) head to Busch Stadium on Thursday where they'll meet the St. Louis Cardinals (57-49, 1st in NL Central). The Cardinals open this matchup at -133 while the Cubs are priced at +123. The O/U is set at 8.5.
The Cubs have been a decent play for baseball bettors, having gone 56-50-0 SU. St. Louis covers 53.8% of the time, going 57-49-0 straight up. The Cardinals have been pretty good for MLB wagerers as favorites, going 31-26-0 SU. Chicago covers 33.3% of the time as an underdog, having gone 10-20-0 straight up.
Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Cubs have been a decent Under option for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 50-54-2.
Chicago covers 38.5% of the time away from home, having gone 20-32-0 straight up.
Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends
St. Louis covers 57.7% of the time at Busch Stadium, going 30-22-0 SU.
The Cardinals have been a terrible Over option for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 45-55-6.
Key Chicago Cubs Injuries
7/30/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 8
7/30/2019 Pedro Strop RP Neck Expected to be out until at least Aug 6
7/27/2019 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Aug 3
7/24/2019 Cole Hamels SP Oblique Expected to be out until at least Aug 3
7/23/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 2
7/20/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
2/19/2019 Kendall Graveman SP Elbow Out for the season
Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries
7/31/2019 Jedd Gyorko 3B Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 2
7/30/2019 Matt Carpenter 3B Foot Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
7/30/2019 Marcell Ozuna LF Finger Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
7/26/2019 Yadier Molina C Thumb Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
7/23/2019 Brett Cecil RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
7/11/2019 Jordan Hicks RP Elbow Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Cubs have a 56-50 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 9-6 record with an earned run average of 3.63 and a WHIP of 1.33 this season. He has 110 strikeouts over his 114 innings pitched and he's given up 125 hits. He's allowed 9.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.14. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.20 and they have given up 312 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen and they've struck out 334 hitters and walked 166 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 882 base hits and 423 earned runs. They have allowed 130 home runs this season, ranking them 26th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 350 batters and struck out 904. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.36.
Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games
Hitting Statistics
As a team Chicago is hitting .251, good for 16th in the league. The Cubs hold a .449 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Javier Baez is hitting .285 with an on-base percentage of .318. He has 121 hits this season in 424 at bats with 69 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .540 and an OPS+ of 116. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .283 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .389. He has totaled 106 hits and he has driven in 71 men in 374 at bats. His OPS+ is 134 while his slugging percentage is at .524. The Cubs have 899 hits, including 175 doubles and 166 home runs. Chicago has walked 394 times so far this season and they have struck out 977 times as a unit. They have left 703 men on base and have a team OPS of .780. They score 5.01 runs per contest and have scored a total of 531 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
St. Louis has a 57-49 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.17, Jack Flaherty has a 4-6 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 131 strikeouts over the 114.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 99 hits. He's allowing 7.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.83 and they have given up 291 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 419 batters and walked 148 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 863 base knocks and 431 earned runs this season. They have given up 138 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 359 hitters and struck out 917 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 4.47.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .244, good for 25th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .409 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.2 hits per contest. Paul DeJong comes into this matchup batting .250 with an OBP of .333. He has 98 hits this year along with 50 RBI in 392 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .457 with an OPS+ of 108. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .258 this season and he has an OBP of .340. He has collected 102 hits in 396 at bats while driving in 58 runs. He has an OPS+ of 114 and a slugging percentage of .472. The Cardinals as a unit have 868 base hits, including 158 doubles and 137 homers. St. Louis has walked 346 times this year and they have struck out on 904 occasions. They have had 708 men left on base and have an OPS of .725. They have scored 4.56 runs per game and totaled 483 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Cubs/Cardinals MLB game against the spread?
Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals -133
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