St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Betting Preview/Prop Picks

The ESPN Sunday Night Baseball crew will be in Chicago as the Cubs take on the St. Louis Cardinals to wrap up a five-game series. This is one of the best rivalries in all of baseball, and each team has won two games up to this point. 

St. Louis comes into this game with an overall record of 31-23, and they are trying to chase down the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division. The Cardinals have been red-hot of late, but the Cubs have provided a big challenge so far this weekend.

This is a rebuilding season for the Cubs, even if the front office is not wanting to admit that is the case. Chicago is just 23-31 on the year, and that record could get even worse over time after they start trading away talent. 

The St. Louis Cardinals are the moneyline betting favorites at -143 over the Chicago Cubs in the series finale. 

Sluggers Carrying the Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have spent some money in recent years to improve this offense, and those moves have paid off. St. Louis is coming into this game with a batting average of .254, and they continue to pound the baseball.

Paul Goldschmidt leads the team with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs to go along with a healthy .342 batting average. Nolan Arenado was the NL Player of the month in April, and he is also hitting the ball extremely well. 

Veteran Adam Wainwright just continues to pitch well for the Cardinals, and he is 5-4 with a 2.75 ERA this season. Wainwright will be looking to go deep in this game to give the tired bullpen a rest. 

Cubs Need Some Pitching

The Chicago Cubs had a pair of rookies starting each end of the doubleheader on Saturday, and they will turn to another young pitcher on Sunday night. Justin Steele will be on the mound to oppose Wainwright, and he has gone just 1-5 with a 5.40 ERA this season.

Chicago comes into this game with a team ERA of 4.35, and that bullpen is taxed after two long games on Saturday. The Cubs will have to find a way to get some big outs if they are going to pull off this upset. 

The 1-2 combination of rookie Christopher Morel and Willson Contreras has turned the Cubs into a formidable offense. This team has belted 55 home runs this year, and they are right near the Cardinals in nearly every offensive category. 

Cubs Complete Upset Over Cards

Wainwright continues to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, and he has had plenty of recent success against the Cubs. This rivalry always seems to produce some interesting and shocking results, and that will give the Cubs a chance in this game. 

There are some big bats in the Cubs' everyday lineup, and they should be able to do some damage against the veteran. This should be another thrilling game between the NL Central rivals, but the home team will come away with a big win. 

Take the Chicago Cubs moneyline as they win the series finale and the series by beating the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball.

Prop Picks

Chicago (-120) OVER 3.5 Runs

Chicago is averaging 4.55 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 10 in the league. That average increases to 4.73 runs per 9 innings at home. Scores have gone OVER in 16 of the Cubs’ last 24 games as a Vegas home underdog.

With Dunkel predicting a Chicago victory by the score of 6-5, take the Cubs (-120) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against the Cardinals.

Adam Wainwright (+100) UNDER 4.5 Strikeouts

Wainwright has 48 strikeouts in 59.0 innings pitched this season for an average of 7.3 Ks per 9 innings. That average decreases to 6.5 Ks per 9 innings on the road.

With Dunkel predicting a Chicago home win while going OVER its Vegas team run total, take Wainwright (+100) to finish UNDER 4.5 strikeouts against the Cubs.

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All Media on this page by Associated Press.