St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/01/2024

 

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Thursday, August 1, 2024

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MARQ

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals -110, Cubs -110; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals -110, Cubs -110; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals -110, Cubs -110; Over/Under:  8 runs

St Louis Cardinals:  55-52 (2nd place, NL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  51-58 (5th place, NL Central)

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St Louis Cardinals:  5-5 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  4-6 last 10

The Cardinals lost their 3-game series against the Washington Nationals 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 55-52 record overall and have a road record of 27-27. This is the series opener of a 4-game series with the Cubs on Thursday with the series finale of their series against the Texas Rangers still to be played on Wednesday. The Cardinals lost the series opener of that series on Monday and won the 2nd game on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 19th in the MLB with a .697 OPS. Rookie pitcher Michael McGreevy is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Sonny Gray is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 10-6 with a 3.79 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 ER, 0 HR, and 3 BB with 7 Ks on 7 hits through 5 IP against the Washington Nationals.

The Cubs won their 3-game series against the Kansas City Royals 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 51-58 record overall and have a home record of 27-25. This is the 1st game of a 4-game series with the Cardinals on Thursday with the 3rd game of their series against the Cincinnati Reds still to be played on Wednesday. The Cubs lost the 1st game of that series on Monday and the 2nd game on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 23rd in the MLB with a .683 OPS. Kyle Hendricks is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while rookie pitcher Shota Imanaga is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 8-2 with a 2.95 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 1 homer, and 0 BB with 3 strikeouts on 6 hits through 5.2 innings played against the Kansas City Royals.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a pick 'em in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs haven't looked good in their games this season with their 51-58 record overall which has them at the bottom of the NL Central and out of the playoff race. They have looked better in their home games though with their 27-25 home record. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 55-52 record overall which has them in 2nd place of the NL Central, but that record also has them barely in the playoff race in the NL. They haven't looked as good in their road games either, going 27-27 in those this season. The Cardinals are going to have Gray on the mound here and he has been a good starter for them this season, but lately he hasn't looked that good. He is 10-6 with a 3.79 ERA this season, but he gave up 5 earned runs in his last start and the team has also lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Cubs offense hasn't been great lately but they will be able to put up some runs here at home, and they also have their own stud on the mound who will keep them in this game. The Cubs are going with Imanaga in this one and he has looked great in his rookie season. He is 8-2 with a 2.95 ERA and has been the ace for this team all year. He did give up 3 earned runs in his last start, but that is on the higher end of runs he has been giving up in his starts lately, and the team has still had a ton of success with him since they have won 3 games in a row with him starting. Both of these teams have been struggling lately but the Cubs have the edge with this pitching matchup at home and they will take advantage of it. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Cardinals Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, August 1, 2024 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Cubs 3 Cardinals 2.

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St Louis Cardinals: 18-14 (+4.60 units) on the moneyline in their last 32 away games. 7-1 (+5.60 units) on the runline in their last 8 away games. 17-11 to the under in their last 28 away games. 

Chicago Cubs: 32-49 (-27.70 units) on the runline in their last 81 games. 14-26 (-16.05 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 40 home games. 56-42 to the under in their last 98 games.

St Louis Cardinals:  S. Matz (SP) Out indefinitely - Back. K. Middleton (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. R. O'Brien (SP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. D. Rom (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.

Chicago Cubs:  B. Brown (SP) Out indefinitely - Neck. T. Nido (C) Out indefinitely - Knee. L. Little (SP) out for season - Back. H. Wesneski (RP) Early Aug - Forearm. J. Wicks (SP) Out indefinitely - Oblique. C. Brewer (RP) Out indefinitely - Hand. Y. Almonte (RP) out of season - Shoulder. K. Thompson (SP) Mid July - Ribs. C. Kilian (SP) Mid July - Shoulder. A. Alzolay (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm.

“Especially against someone like Scherzer, who’s got a really good arm, and the energy that that brings when you’re able to do that on pitch one, it’s pretty cool.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s win against the Rangers in their game on Tuesday.

“(Steele) didn’t have good command. He didn’t get any easy outs.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s loss against the Reds in their game on Tuesday.

M Winn (R) SS

A Burleson (L) LF

W Contreras (R) C

L Nootbaar (L) RF

P Goldschmidt (R) 1B

M Carpenter (L) DH

B Crawford (L) 3B

N Gorman (L) 2B

M Siani (L) CF

I Happ (S) LF

M Busch (L) 1B

S Suzuki (R) RF

C Bellinger (L) DH

I Paredes (R) 3B

N Hoerner (R) 2B

D Swanson (R) SS

P Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

M Amaya (R) C

Batting Average:  Tommy Pham (.500)

Hits:  Brendan Donovan (103)

Home Runs:  Nolan Gorman (19)

RBI:  Alec Burleson (61)

Stolen Bases:  Michael Siani (14)

Wins:  Sonny Gray (10)

Saves:  Ryan Helsley (33)

ERA:  Ryan Loutos (0.00)

Batting Average:  Christian Bethancourt (.500)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (96)

Home Runs:  Ian Happ (16)

RBI:  Ian Happ (60)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (19)

Wins:  Shota Imanaga (8)

Saves:  Héctor Neris (14)

ERA:  Jesus Tinoco (0.00)

Managers:

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (3rd season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (1st season)