The St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs will add another chapter to their bitter rivalry beginning tonight at Wrigley Field. At press, the Cubs sit on top of the NL Central, while the Cardinals lag back by 7.5 games and hope to close the gap a little. Read on for a preview of this intriguing NL Central matchup.
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Game by Game Betting Preview for the St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Regular Season Series Running from July 19-22, 2018
Where: Wrigley Field
When:
Game 1 Thursday, July 19, 7:05PM
Game 2 Friday, July 20, 2:20PM
Game 3 Saturday, July 21, 7:15PM
Game 4 Sunday. July 22, 2:20PM
Line: St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Game 1 Thursday, July 19, 7:05PM
Starters: Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.24 ERA) vs. Kyle Hendricks (6-8, 3.92 ERA)
Pitching:
In his last start, Martinez absorbed a loss after allowing three earned runs on six hits in five innings of a 9-1 home loss to Cincy on July 13. The Cards are 3-1 in his last four starts, though. Hendricks yielded just two earned runs on five hits in five innings of an 11-6 road win over San Diego on July 14. He is 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA in nine home starts this season.
Hitting:
- Kyle Schwarber is 6-for-21 vs. Martinez.
- Marcell Ozuna is 4-for-13 vs. Hendricks.
Writer’s Prediction:
St. Louis wins, 5-3.
Game 2 Friday, July 20, 2:20PM
Starters: Jack Flaherty (3-4, 3.24 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (12-2, 2.58 ERA)
Pitching:
The Cards have gone winless in Flaherty’s last five starts. In his most recent outing, Flaherty was sizzling, however, tossing five scoreless innings on two hits, albeit in an 8-2 loss at home to Cincy on July 14. The Cubs are much better with Lester, as they are 9-0 in the lefty’s last nine starts. Lester is 5-1 with a 1.98 ERA in nine starts at home this year.
Hitting:
- The Cubs’ current lineup is 2-for-19 vs. Flaherty.
- Yadier Molina is 13-for-38 vs. Lester.
Writer’s Prediction:
Chicago wins, 6-2.
Game 3 Saturday, July 21, 7:15PM
Starters: John Gant (5-8, 4.72 ERA) vs. Tyler Chatwood (3-3, 3.91 ERA)
Pitching:
Gant has not granted opponents more than two earned runs in each of his last two starts. He is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA and 11 strikeouts in his last three starts. Chatwood has allowed 17 earned runs in his last three starts, though the Cubs managed to win in all those games by outscoring their opponents, 27-20.
Hitting:
- Matt Carpenter is 4-for-8 vs, Chatwood.
- The Cubs’ current lineup is 2-for-8 vs. Gant.
Writer’s Prediction:
Chicago wins, 6-4.
Game 4 Sunday, July 22, 2:20PM
Starters: Luke Weaver (5-8, 4.72 ERA) vs. Mike Montgomery (3-3, 3.91 ERA)
Pitching:
Weaver could not find weave his way into a win in his last start, despite surrendering just an earned run on three hits in six innings of a 4-0 road loss to the White Sox on July 11. He is 5-4 with a 4.27 ERA in 11 starts this 2018. As for Montgomery, he is 3-2 this year with a 3.20 ERA as a starter this year.
Hitting:
- Yadier Molina is 2-for-3 vs. Montgomery.
- Javier Baez is 4-for-7 vs. Weaver.
Writer’s Prediction:
St. Louis wins, 5-4.
Writer’s Overall Series Prediction
The Cubs and the Cardinals split this mid-summer four game series.
Bet on the Cardinals vs Cubs regular season series
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