MLB Betting: Rivals Cubs, Cards at Wrigley
Both the Cardinals and the Cubs are chasing the surprising Reds in the NL Central as the Memorial Day weekend arrives. The two old National League rivals will try and get their slowed bats going at Wrigley to back what have been two solid pitching staffs so far. For the Cubs it's all about getting Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez to contribute. The Cardinals, meanwhile, hope to see Albert Pujols break out of his May doldrums.
The bad news is the Chicago Cubs are 27th on the baseball moneylist. The good news is the Cubs play in the National League Central.
Despite struggling to start the season, Chicago is well within striking distance of first-place Cincinnati – and second place St. Louis – with the rival Cardinals (27-21, -4.43 units) coming to town for a three-game series beginning on Friday afternoon (2:20 p.m. ET) at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs (23-25, -9.24 units) couldn't beat the betting odds earlier this month but have cashed eight of their last 11 games against the moneyline. Chicago currently finds itself five games behind the Reds heading into the weekend.
Chicago has its pitching staff to thank: While the Cubs hit .243 during the stretch, their arms posted a 2.87 ERA to pick up the slack for the offense, which ranks 15th in baseball in runs per game (4.49).
The North Siders have gotten next to nothing from Derrek Lee (.242/.343/.725, six home runs) and Aramis Ramirez (.160/.225/.495, four HRs) this season, and depending on how you look at it, it’s a blessing or a curse.
Either Chicago is in trouble long term, because its 3-4 hitters are playing horribly, or it’s in good shape: Once Lee and Ramirez improve towards the mean, the Cubs should make a push for the division.
It looks like bettors will have to wait before seeing if Ramirez can turn it around. The third baseman missed Chicago’s game against the Dodgers on Thursday afternoon with a thumb injury, and is questionable for the series against the Cards.
For its part, St. Louis has dropped three of its last five, and like Chicago, the bats are asleep. The Redbirds are hitting only .237 in their last 10 ballgames.
The question for St. Louis backers is, what’s up with Albert Pujols? The league’s best hitter has had an tough time – by his lofty standards – in May, with a .267/.406/.790 split this month. Pujols has only two extra-base hits in his last 12 games.
By comparison, Pujols posted a .345/.430/1.085 in April, mirroring his numbers from his MVP campaign of a year ago. After smacking seven dingers in April, Pujols has two in May.
It’s not like Pujols is getting much protection from Matt Holliday, who hit so well when he came over from Oakland at the trade deadline last season. Holliday has five homers this season to go along with a pedestrian .279 average, .344 OBP, and .786 OPS.
With the way the Cards are hitting and the Cubs are pitching – not to mention St. Louis’ stellar staff that ranks first in quality starts (35), second in team ERA (2.98), and third in team WHIP (1.21) – the ‘under’ is the sharp wager this weekend.
The trends also bear out my ‘under’ prediction. Chicago is 2-12-2 O/U in its last 16 games, while St. Louis is 4-12 O/U in its last 16 games away from Busch Stadium. The teams have also cashed the ‘under’ in seven of their last 10 meetings.
Chris Carpenter (5-1, 3.09 ERA) takes the ball in Friday’s series opener for the Cards, while the Cubs go with Randy Wells (3-2, 3.99 ERA).
St. Louis is 1-4 O/U (4-1 SU) in Carpenter’s last five outings, and 8-2 against the moneyline when he toes the rubber this season. For its part, Chicago has hit the ‘under’ the last three times (2-1 SU) Wells has thrown.
The Cardinals have yet to announce their starters for either Saturday afternoon’s second game (4:10 PM ET, FOX) or Sunday afternoon’s series finale (2:20 PM ET), although Adam Wainwright (6-3, 2.38 ERA) is likely to pitch in one of the two games.
St. Louis’ depth will be put to the test over the next few weeks. Brad Penny (back) is on the 15-day disabled list, while Kyle Lohse (forearm) is out indefinitely and could be sidelined for the season.
The red-hot Carlos Silva (6-0, 3.52 ERA) gets the call on Saturday for the Cubbies. Chicago is 8-1 against the moneyline in Silva’s nine starts this season.
The Cubs turn to Ryan Dempster (3-4, 3.31 ERA) for the getaway game on Sunday in what could be a matchup against Wainwright. Dempster tossed eight scoreless innings in Chicago’s 3-0 win against the Dodgers on Tuesday, as the Cubs cashed as -110 home chalk.
This is the first meeting between the teams this season. The Cardinals took 10 of 16 from the Cubs in 2009, although Chicago went 4-3 at Wrigley Field.
Both the Cardinals and the Cubs are chasing the surprising Reds in the NL Central as the Memorial Day weekend arrives. The two old National League rivals will try and get their slowed bats going at Wrigley to back what have been two solid pitching staffs so far. For the Cubs it's all about getting Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez to contribute. The Cardinals, meanwhile, hope to see Albert Pujols break out of his May doldrums.
The bad news is the Chicago Cubs are 27th on the baseball moneylist. The good news is the Cubs play in the National League Central.
Despite struggling to start the season, Chicago is well within striking distance of first-place Cincinnati – and second place St. Louis – with the rival Cardinals (27-21, -4.43 units) coming to town for a three-game series beginning on Friday afternoon (2:20 p.m. ET) at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs (23-25, -9.24 units) couldn't beat the betting odds earlier this month but have cashed eight of their last 11 games against the moneyline. Chicago currently finds itself five games behind the Reds heading into the weekend.
Chicago has its pitching staff to thank: While the Cubs hit .243 during the stretch, their arms posted a 2.87 ERA to pick up the slack for the offense, which ranks 15th in baseball in runs per game (4.49).
The North Siders have gotten next to nothing from Derrek Lee (.242/.343/.725, six home runs) and Aramis Ramirez (.160/.225/.495, four HRs) this season, and depending on how you look at it, it’s a blessing or a curse.
Either Chicago is in trouble long term, because its 3-4 hitters are playing horribly, or it’s in good shape: Once Lee and Ramirez improve towards the mean, the Cubs should make a push for the division.
It looks like bettors will have to wait before seeing if Ramirez can turn it around. The third baseman missed Chicago’s game against the Dodgers on Thursday afternoon with a thumb injury, and is questionable for the series against the Cards.
For its part, St. Louis has dropped three of its last five, and like Chicago, the bats are asleep. The Redbirds are hitting only .237 in their last 10 ballgames.
The question for St. Louis backers is, what’s up with Albert Pujols? The league’s best hitter has had an tough time – by his lofty standards – in May, with a .267/.406/.790 split this month. Pujols has only two extra-base hits in his last 12 games.
By comparison, Pujols posted a .345/.430/1.085 in April, mirroring his numbers from his MVP campaign of a year ago. After smacking seven dingers in April, Pujols has two in May.
It’s not like Pujols is getting much protection from Matt Holliday, who hit so well when he came over from Oakland at the trade deadline last season. Holliday has five homers this season to go along with a pedestrian .279 average, .344 OBP, and .786 OPS.
With the way the Cards are hitting and the Cubs are pitching – not to mention St. Louis’ stellar staff that ranks first in quality starts (35), second in team ERA (2.98), and third in team WHIP (1.21) – the ‘under’ is the sharp wager this weekend.
The trends also bear out my ‘under’ prediction. Chicago is 2-12-2 O/U in its last 16 games, while St. Louis is 4-12 O/U in its last 16 games away from Busch Stadium. The teams have also cashed the ‘under’ in seven of their last 10 meetings.
Chris Carpenter (5-1, 3.09 ERA) takes the ball in Friday’s series opener for the Cards, while the Cubs go with Randy Wells (3-2, 3.99 ERA).
St. Louis is 1-4 O/U (4-1 SU) in Carpenter’s last five outings, and 8-2 against the moneyline when he toes the rubber this season. For its part, Chicago has hit the ‘under’ the last three times (2-1 SU) Wells has thrown.
The Cardinals have yet to announce their starters for either Saturday afternoon’s second game (4:10 PM ET, FOX) or Sunday afternoon’s series finale (2:20 PM ET), although Adam Wainwright (6-3, 2.38 ERA) is likely to pitch in one of the two games.
St. Louis’ depth will be put to the test over the next few weeks. Brad Penny (back) is on the 15-day disabled list, while Kyle Lohse (forearm) is out indefinitely and could be sidelined for the season.
The red-hot Carlos Silva (6-0, 3.52 ERA) gets the call on Saturday for the Cubbies. Chicago is 8-1 against the moneyline in Silva’s nine starts this season.
The Cubs turn to Ryan Dempster (3-4, 3.31 ERA) for the getaway game on Sunday in what could be a matchup against Wainwright. Dempster tossed eight scoreless innings in Chicago’s 3-0 win against the Dodgers on Tuesday, as the Cubs cashed as -110 home chalk.
This is the first meeting between the teams this season. The Cardinals took 10 of 16 from the Cubs in 2009, although Chicago went 4-3 at Wrigley Field.
