The Chicago Cubs (27-25) travel to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals (24-26) on Sunday, May 26th. This game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and televised on ESPN. The Cardinals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cubs are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Cardinals. First pitch is set for 7:10 ET.
Cubs vs Cardinals
St. Louis picked up a 7-6 win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Cardinals had a huge 8th inning, scoring four of their seven runs. As for the Cubs, they scored two runs in the 9th but fell short with just six total hits.
Miles Mikolas got the win for the Cardinals, going six innings and giving up three earned runs. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued two walks. JoJo Romero got the save. As for the Cubs, Jameson Taillon went just 5 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on nine hits.
Lars Nootbaar was the difference for the Cardinals, as he went 3/5 with a home run and three RBIs. Paul Goldschmidt also had a two-hit game and drove in two runs. As for the Cubs, Mike Tauchman hit a two-run homer, going 2/4.
Chicago is 27-25 overall this season, and they are 3.5 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cubs have dropped three straight games, and they lost the series opener vs. the Cardinals. So far, they are 5-6 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Cubs have gone 15-11 this year, and they are just under .500 at 12-14 on the road. Chicago has dropped three straight games as the underdog, and they are 15-16 as the underdog overall. As the favorite, the Cubs are 12-9 this year, and their overall series record is 7-7-2. Chicago has dropped three straight series.
When it comes to run line betting, the Cubs have been a solid play on the road this season, going 16-10. They have covered the run line in two straight games and have a run line record of 27-25 overall. They are 21-10 against the run line as the underdog, but just 6-15 as the favorite. Their average run differential in winning games is +3.1, while it is -3.5 in losing games.
The Chicago Cubs are on the road today facing the St. Louis Cardinals. The O/U line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The Cubs’ games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, and their O/U record is 22-28 overall. When the O/U line has been set at 7.5 runs, their record is 6-7. The Cubs have played 32 games with higher O/U lines than 7.5 runs, which accounts for 61.5% of their games, and they have played just 7 games with lower O/U lines, which accounts for 13.5% of their games.
Javier Assad Gets The Start For The Cubs
Javier Assad gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Cardinals on the road. He has made 10 starts this season and has a record of 4-0 with an ERA of 1.70. Looking at his overall numbers, Assad has a WHIP of 1.11 and opponents are batting .201 off him this season. In his 10 starts, Assad has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 7.81 strikeouts per nine innings. The right-hander’s last outing came on May 21st, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work.
Cubs Offense Breakdown
For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. They have been a bit better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting just .228, which is 20th in the league, and they are also 11th in home runs. Heading into the game, Nico Hoerner is batting .263 and has gone deep twice this season.
Christopher Morel comes into the game as the Cubs’ home run leader, but he is batting just .206 this season and has gone just 4/21 in his last seven games. Michael Busch and Cody Bellinger are tied for 2nd on the team with seven homers apiece, but Busch is just 1/15 in his last seven games, and Bellinger is 5/28 in his last seven games.
St. Louis is hosting the Cubs today with an overall record of 24-26, and they are 5.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cardinals have dropped six of their eight games against other NL Central teams. Currently, they have a four-game winning streak, and this comes after dropping four straight games.
The Cardinals have won three straight games as the favorite, and they are 13-13 when favored this year. As the underdog, St. Louis is 11-13 this season, and they are 12-12 at home. St. Louis has been good on the road, putting together a record of 12-14.
When it comes to the run line, the Cardinals have been a .500 team this season, going 25-25, and that has been the case both at home and on the road. They have been a better bet to cover the run line as the underdog, going 15-9, than as the favorite, where they are just 10-16. Their average run differential this season is -0.8 runs per game, and that number is slightly worse at home (-0.7) than on the road (-1.0).
The St. Louis Cardinals are playing at home today against the Chicago Cubs. The over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their average combined run average of 8.7. The Cardinals have hit the over in 24 of their 48 games this season, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs, the Cardinals have hit the over in just 3 of 12 games.
Sonny Gray Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Sonny Gray gets the start for the Cardinals today and is coming off a strong outing vs. the Orioles, where he picked up the win. In that start, he went 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one earned run. Looking back over his last four outings, Gray has been a bit up and down. He has given up at least five earned runs in two of those starts. Gray’s ERA for the season is 2.87, along with a record of 6-2. Opposing batters are hitting .213 off Gray this season. Per nine innings, he is averaging 11.3 strikeouts compared to just 1.91 walks.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
Over his last four games, Nolan Gorman has gone 4/10 with a home run and three RBIs. Gorman is batting just .215 for the season, but his eight home runs are the best mark on the team and 9th in the league. Brendan Donovan has also been a solid power threat for the Cardinals, as his four homers are 13th in the league and 2nd on the team.
St. Louis comes into the game with the league’s 14th ranked scoring offense, averaging 3.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .235, which is 14th in the league. So far, the Cardinals have been a better home team, averaging 4.1 runs per game at home.
Cubs vs Cardinals Prediction
Our pick for today’s Cubs vs. Cardinals matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line, where they are currently sitting at +116. We actually have the Cubs winning this one by a score of 6-4. If you’re looking for a parlay, we also like the Cubs to go on the money line.
Looking at today’s starting pitchers, we have Sonny Gray finishing with six strikeouts compared to Javier Assad with five. However, we have Assad going five innings, which is tied for fifth among starters, and Gray going five innings as well.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 26, 2024 Cardinals, Cubs