St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs, 7/20/2018 Prediction & Preview
The surging Cubs are off to a good start following the All-Star Break. After beating the Cardinals 9-6 on Thursday night, Chicago will host its NL Central rivals again on Friday afternoon. After combing for 15 runs in Game 1 of the series, will Game 2 also be high-scoring?
Game Snapshot & Odds
901 St. Louis Cardinals at 902 Chicago Cubs
Friday, July 20, 2018
2:20 p.m. ET, Wrigley Field
TV: STL (FSMW); CHC (CSNC)
Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the host Cubs as a -138 favorite on the money line. As of this writing, over 70% of betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Cubs to beat the Cardinals on the moneyline.
Cardinals’ Flathery holds Reds scoreless over five innings
Jack Flaherty shut out the Reds over five innings but settled for a no-decision Saturday. Flaherty scattered two hits and three walks while striking out five before the second rain delay of the game ended his night prematurely. And although he left with the lead, it also might have cost him a win, as the Cardinals bullpen fell apart after his exit. The 22-year-old finishes an up-and-down first half with a 3.24 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 87/24 K/BB ratio over 75 innings spanning 14 starts. He’ll pick back up next week after the All-Star break.
Cubs’ Lester defeats Padres to earn 12th win
Jon Lester picked up his 12th victory of the season on Sunday, limiting the Padres to three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. The All-Star left-hander racked up seven strikeouts on the afternoon while issuing three free passes. After keeping the Padres off the board for the first three innings, Christian Villanueva tagged him for a solo homer in the fourth. Lester than ran into trouble in the sixth, hitting Freddy Galvis to force in a run with the bases loaded before departing. Lester wraps up the first half tied with Aaron Nola and Max Scherzer for the National League lead with 12 victories to go along with his 2.58 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 88/41 K/BB ratio across 111 2/3 innings.
MLB Betting Trends
St. Louis
The Cardinals have lost all five of Flathery’s last five starts.
Chicago
The Cubs have won 51 of Lester’s last 72 starts.
Prediction:
The over has now cashed in six of the Cardinals’ last seven games overall. It is also 5-1 in their last six games versus a left-handed starter and is 5-0 in their last five games versus the National League Central.
On the other side, the over is a perfect 5-0 in the Cubs’ last five games. With how hot both of these teams are offensively, it makes sense to ride with the over again despite a good pitching matchup.
The Pick: Cardinals/Cubs over
