:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71283213/1417702397.0.jpg "Cardinals vs. Cubs prediction: Picks, odds, live stream, TV channel, start time on Thursday, August 25")
The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 2:20 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Wrigley Field in Chicago and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Dakota Hudson (6-6, 4.33 ERA) will start for the Cardinals with Marcus Stroman (3-5, 2.83 ERA) on the mound for the Cubs.
St. Louis (71-53) will go for the series win in the fifth game against Chicago this week and holds a 5.5-game lead in the National League Central. Hudson will make his 23rd start of the season and allowed four runs over 4.1 innings in Saturday's win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cardinals rank fourth in runs per game (4.9), and Paul Goldschmidt is putting together an incredible season with 31 home runs and 100 RBI with a .335 batting average.
Chicago (54-70) picked up a 7-1 victory on Wednesday as it looks to play spoiler down the stretch. Stroman will make his 18th start of the season and gave up two runs over 7.2 innings of work in Saturday's win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs rank 14th in OPS (.705), and Nico Hoerner recorded three hits in Wednesday's win.
Cardinals vs. Cubs
Pitchers: Dakota Hudson vs. Marcus Stroman
First pitch: 2:20 p.m. ET
Cardinals local broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest
Cubs local broadcast: Marquee Sports Network
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Cardinals -1.5 (+135)
Run total: 7.5
Moneyline odds: Cardinals -115, Cubs -105
Moneyline pick: Cardinals -115
This is a fairly even pitching matchup, so let's side with the team with a far better offense. The Cardinals have the NL MVP Goldschmidt leading the way, but there is a strong mix of power and contact hitters in this lineup. they rank second in on-base percentage, and there's a lot more to trust about this group than the other side.
Player prop pick: Marcus Stroman over 4.5 strikeouts (-115)
The Cubs starter will head into this game with an 8.1 K/9, and Stroman threw at least five strikeouts in three of his last four starts. St. Louis strikes out the fifth-fewest times in the MLB with 7.7 times per game, but Stroman struck out 13 Cardinals hitters over 10.2 innings against the rivals this season.