NL Central Division rivals will square off on Thursday afternoon, when the St. Louis Cardinals battle the Chicago Cubs from historic Wrigley Field. The Cardinals (71-53) are a game below .500 on the road and hold a five-game lead over Milwaukee for first place. Last night, OF Corey Dickerson collected four of St. Louis' nine hits during a 7-1 road loss against Chicago.
Twenty-seven year old righty Dakota Hudson (6-6 4.33 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals in this matchup. Last time out, Hudson gave up four runs in four plus innings during a 16-7 road victory against Arizona.
The Chicago Cubs have won seven of their last ten games and have their sights set on the future. On Wednesday, four Chicago relief pitchers combined to strike out seven batters across four plus shutout frames. SS Nico Hoerner had three hits and scored a pair of runs for the Cubs, who improved to 54-70 on the season.'
The Cubs will counter with thirty-one year old righty Marcus Stroman (3-5 3.83 ERA) in the series finale. In his last start, Stroman allowed two runs in seven plus innings during a 6-5 home victory versus Milwaukee.
Recent Betting Trends
- Cardinals are 1-4 in their last 5 road games vs. a right-handed starter.
- Cardinals are 8-22 in their last 30 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15.
- Cubs are 4-0 in their last 4 games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.
- Under is 17-5 in Cardinals last 22 games vs. a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15.
- Under is 13-6-3 in Cubs last 22 home games.
Free MLB Pick:
Chicago Cubs +112