Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview/Prop Picks
02 September 2022
Time: 8:15 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago Cubs 15.960; St. Louis 15.462
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago Cubs by ½; 7
Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-235); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+195); Under
The Chicago Cubs, who rank third in the NL Central, face off against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight. With a record of 56-75, the Cubs have had a tough season, especially lately.
Over their last five games, Chicago has won once, beating the Toronto Blue Jays. They’ll face the best team in their division tonight and one of the best pitchers in the league too.
The St. Louis Cardinals have a 76-55 record and lead the NL Central. Coming off of a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds, the Cardinals are itching for another win. They look as if they’ll be the team to represent the NL Central in the postseason.
Currently, the Cardinals have a 6.5-game lead over the second-place team. They can increase that gap with a win over Chicago tonight.
Chicago Cubs: Tonight is all about batting for the Cubs
Before we check out the batters for the Chicago Cubs, let’s look at who’s pitching. Adrian Sampson, who has a 1-4 record with a 3.97 ERA will take the mound today.
Sampson’s record is slightly concerning, but his ERA isn’t bad. Over the course of 65.2 innings, Sampson has thrown 50 strikeouts. The Cubs will need Sampson at his best tonight against the Cardinals.
In terms of batting, the Cubs have a team average of .241, ranking 19th overall. They have an on-base percentage of .312, ranking 17th, and a slugging percentage of .391 (14th).
Leading the group is Nico Hoerner, who has a .288 average this season. The Cubs are going against one of the best pitchers in baseball; they’ll need to start fast at the plate.
St. Louis Cardinals: Jordan Montgomery gets the nod tonight
The St. Louis Cardinals will send out Jordan Montgomery to try and secure a win tonight. Montgomery is an incredible pitcher with a 7-3 record and a 3.28 ERA.
Montgomery has thrown 125 strikeouts in 145.1 innings and allowed just 16 home runs. With him on the mound, the Cardinals likely feel strongly about this game, especially when it comes to pitching.
At the plate, the Cardinals have a team batting average of .258, ranking sixth in MLB. They have the fourth-most runs (644) and have an on-base percentage of .330, ranking second.
Leading the group of batters is Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt has an average of .332 and leads the team in home runs (33) and RBIs (105). So, who’s the better team to pick tonight?
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Betting Pick
This game may seem like an obvious choice, but there are a few things to consider. First, the Chicago Cubs have had a few really strong performances over the Cardinals. If they can get a fast start or prevent the Cardinals from scoring too many runs, they can win this.
What they’ll need to do is wait out Montgomery, until the Cardinals bullpen comes in. From there, the Cubs can take advantage of the incoming pitchers. Going against Montgomery will be tough, but they can get a win over the Cardinals in the late innings.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Chicago Cubs +195, UNDER
Prop Picks
St. Louis (-110) UNDER 4.5 Runs
Chicago is allowing 4.81 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 24 in the league. That average drops to 3.60 runs per 9 innings over the last five games started by Adrian Sampson. Scores have gone UNDER in eight of the Cubs last 11 road games versus the Cardinals.
With Dunkel predicting a Chicago victory by the score of 4-3, take the Cardinals (+110) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 4.5 runs against the Cubs.
Jordan Montgomery (-135) OVER 4.5 Strike Outs
Montgomery has recorded 28 strike outs in 30.2 innings pitched for St. Louis, for a rate of 8.2 strikeouts per 9 innings. Chicago strikes out 8.83 times per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 25 in the league. That average increases to 9.04 times per 9 innings on the road.
With Dunkel predicting the final score staying UNDER the Vegas run total, take Montgomery (-135) to finish OVER 4.5strike outs versus Chicago.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
