St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Betting Preview/Prop Picks
22 August 2022
Time: 8:05 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis 18.225; Chicago Cubs 14.581
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 4; 6
Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-174); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-174); Under
NL Central Division rivals meet up in Chicago on Monday night as the Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals. This is always one of the best rivalries in baseball, and it doesn't usually matter where each team is in the playoff race.
St. Louis comes into this game having won seven straight games, and that has propelled them to first place in the Central Division. The Cardinals are now 69-51 on the year, but they are still one game under the .500 mark on the road.
Chicago has won five straight series, and they have improved the record to 52-68 on the year. The Cubs are not going to be a playoff team in 2022, but they can have an impact on how the playoff races shake out by playing spoiler in this series.
The St. Louis Cardinals are the moneyline betting favorites at -174 over the Chicago Cubs in this game on Monday night.
Montgomery Pitching Well For Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals didn't make a ton of moves at the Trade Deadline, but the team did go out and acquire Jordan Montgomery. That move has worked out extremely well for St. Louis as Montgomery has been dominant since joining the team, and he is 6-3 with a 3.29 ERA overall.
St. Louis has been getting production from up and down the lineup of late, but it's been two veteran stars setting the tone. Paul Goldschmidt will likely win the NL MVP Award this season, and Nolan Arenado has been solid as well.
The Cardinals have scored a total of 45 runs over the last five games, and they have been a nightmare for opposing starting pitchers.
Cubs Have Some Talent
Despite having a poor record this season, there is some talent in the Cubs' everyday lineup. Willson Contreras and Ian Happ were both All-Stars this season, and each player has been swinging the bats well of late.
The Cubs have the seventh-best on-base percentage in baseball, and they can do some damage at Wrigley Field. Chicago has hit 126 long balls this season, and that number will scare the Cardinals pitching staff a bit.
Drew Smyly starts for the Cubs on Monday night, and he is 5-6 with a 3.67 ERA on the year. Chicago will have to find a way to get some outs if they are going to win this game.
Cardinals Crush the Cubs
Both of these teams have been playing great baseball in the month of August, but the Cardinals have been one of the best teams in baseball. St. Louis is making a big push in the NL Central Division, and this lineup is cruising.
Montgomery has been terrific since joining the Cardinals, and he should have little trouble with the Cubs in this game. Chicago wants to play the role of spoiler, but they just won't have enough offense to keep this game close.
Bet the St. Louis Cardinals -3.5 as they blow out the Chicago Cubs in the series opener at Wrigley Field.
Prop Picks
Chicago Cubs (-135) UNDER 3.5 Runs
St. Louis is allowing 3.95 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 8 in the league. That average decreases to 2.67 runs per 9 innings over the Cardinals’ last 9 games. Scores have gone UNDER in five of the Cardinals’ last seven games versus the Cubs.
With Dunkel predicting a St. Louis victory by the score of 5-1, take the Cubs (-135) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 3.5 runs against the Cardinals.
St. Louis (-150) Most Hits
Chicago is allowing 8.50 hits per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 22 in the league. St. Louis is averaging 8.78 hits per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 6 in the league. That average increases to 9.15 hits per 9 innings on the road.
With Dunkel predicting a St. Louis road win, take the Cardinals (-150) to finish with more hits than the Cubs.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
