Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Picks & Predictions 5/31/2019
Friday, May 31, 2019
Busch Stadium
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Yu Darvish vs. Miles Mikolas
Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs (31-23, 1st in NL Central) are headed to Busch Stadium on Friday where they'll take on the St. Louis Cardinals (26-28, 4th in NL Central). The Cardinals open this game at -138 while the Cubs are coming in at +128. The over/under has been set at 9.5.
The Cubs have been a strong choice for MLB bettors, having gone 31-23-0 SU. The Cardinals cover 48.1% of the time, going 26-28-0 straight up. The Cardinals have been pretty good for Vegas oddsmakers oddsmakers as the favorite, going 15-16-0 SU. Chicago covers 33.3% of the time as the underdog, having gone 6-12-0 straight up.
Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Cubs have been an awful Under option for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 31-23-0.
The Cubs cover 50.0% of the time as the road team, having gone 13-13-0 straight up.
Important St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends
St. Louis covers 57.1% of the time at Busch Stadium, going 16-12-0 SU.
The Cardinals have been a less than ideal Under option for O/U MLB wagerers, having gone 26-25-3.
Key Chicago Cubs Injuries
5/28/2019 Pedro Strop RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Jun 2
5/27/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Jun 1
5/26/2019 Tony Barnette RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jun 1
5/22/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Jun 1
5/2/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Jul 8
2/19/2019 Kendall Graveman SP Elbow Out for the season
Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries
5/29/2019 Yadier Molina C Hand Probable for May 30
5/18/2019 Brett Cecil RP Wrist Expected to be out until at least Jul 2
4/19/2019 Mike Mayers RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Jun 19
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Cubs have a 31-23 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.62 this season. He has 67 strikeouts over his 55 innings pitched and he's given up 51 hits. He's allowed 8.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.54. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.95 and they have given up 165 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .238 against the bullpen and they've struck out 187 hitters and walked 101 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.91. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 461 base hits and 213 earned runs. They have allowed 60 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 209 batters and struck out 476. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.16.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Chicago is hitting .257, good for 9th in the league. The Cubs hold a .462 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .289 with an on-base percentage of .404. He has 55 hits this season in 190 at bats with 42 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .589 and an OPS+ of 155. Javier Baez is hitting .307 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .350. He has totaled 67 hits and he has driven in 34 men in 218 at bats. His OPS+ is 136 while his slugging percentage is at .573. The Cubs have 476 hits, including 90 doubles and 92 home runs. Chicago has walked 232 times so far this season and they have struck out 498 times as a unit. They have left 399 men on base and have a team OPS of .808. They score 5.33 runs per contest and have scored a total of 288 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
St. Louis has a 26-28 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.76, Miles Mikolas has a 4-5 record and a 1.17 WHIP. He has 46 strikeouts over the 62.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 63 hits. He's allowing 9.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.84. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.28 and they have given up 143 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the Cardinals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 218 batters and walked 85 opposing hitters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.48. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 435 base knocks and 237 earned runs this season. They have given up 81 home runs this year, which ranks 6th in Major League Baseball. St. Louis as a staff has walked 195 hitters and struck out 473 batters. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.72.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .251, good for 16th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Paul DeJong comes into this matchup batting .290 with an OBP of .391. He has 58 hits this year along with 26 RBI in 200 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .505 with an OPS+ of 138. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .271 this season and he has an OBP of .363. He has collected 56 hits in 207 at bats while driving in 26 runs. He has an OPS+ of 117 and a slugging percentage of .449. The Cardinals as a unit have 457 base hits, including 86 doubles and 67 homers. St. Louis has walked 203 times this year and they have struck out on 445 occasions. They have had 389 men left on base and have an OPS of .746. They have scored 4.94 runs per game and totaled 267 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Cubs/Cardinals MLB game against the spread?
Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs +128
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