⚾ Cubs vs. Cardinals Prediction & Picks: MLB Odds for Sunday, May 31
Sunday Night Baseball wraps up today's loaded 15-game slate with an NL Central rivalry game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. Jordan Wicks is on the bump for his second start of the season for the Cubs, while Matthew Liberatore toes the rubber for the Cardinals.
My Cubs vs. Cardinals prediction and MLB picks feature a moneyline pick, a pitcher prop, a home run prop, and a three-leg same-game parlay. Catch this game on NBC and streaming on Peacock for tonight's 7:20 p.m. ET opening pitch from Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
⚾ Cubs vs. Cardinals picks & odds today
See all of our experts’ MLB picks based on the latest MLB odds; picks rated on a 1-to-5 star confidence scale based on betting value.
| ⚾ Pick | 💵 Units | 📝 Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals Moneyline (-115 via Caesars) | 1.15u → 1.0u | One-sentence angle |
| Matthew Liberatore Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-110 via BetMGM) | 1.10u → 1.0u | One-sentence angle |
| JJ Wetherholt Over 0.5 Home Runs (+760 via DraftKings) | 0.25u → 1.9u | One-sentence angle |
Total wagered: 2.5 units | Max profit: 3.9 units
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🏆 Who will win Cubs vs. Cardinals?
Neither of these teams have been able to record a recent winning streak heading into Sunday Night Baseball. The Cubs have regained a bit of momentum after enduring a 10-game losing slump, while the Cardinals are also 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played.
Jordan Wicks got shelled in his first start against the Pirates. As a result, the Cubs starter enters tonight's game with a ridiculous 16.62 ERA, surrendering nine hits and eight earned runs in 4.1 innings of work.
Matthew Liberatore has not been fantastic, but he's been much better in comparison to Wicks. The Cardinals' starter has been racking up strikeouts, while allowing three or fewer runs in four of his last five outings.
Expect runs to be flowing in this NL Central clash. Ultimately, the Cardinals prevail to win their first series since taking the Royals 2-1 on May 17th. St. Louis wins tonight's matchup 5-4.
Score prediction: Cardinals 5, Cubs 4
💰 Cubs vs. Cardinals prediction & best bet
Cardinals moneyline (-115)
The Cardinals' offense gets a big jumpstart against Wicks tonight. Yes, he only has one start, but it was awful, and St. Louis still has a better overall batting percentage than the Cubs, hitting .277 compared to Chicago's .240 BA.
In eight of their last nine games against a divisional opponent following a home loss, the Cardinals have won the next game. Oddsmakers slightly favor St. Louis tonight at -115 on the moneyline.
Bet on the Cardinals to defend home field and win to take this series 2-1 against the Cubs on Sunday Night Baseball.
📡 SBR Edge: Back Liberatore at Busch Stadium
Liberatore has elevated the Cardinals' chances of winning at Busch Stadium this season. St. Louis has won four of six games with Liberatore making a home start, including victories against quality opponents like the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
🔥 Best Cubs vs. Cardinals player prop bet
Matthew Liberatore Over 4.5 strikeouts (-110)
Liberatore has been a focal point in this matchup. Now, we'll target his strikeout prop against the Cubs for the best player prop to wager on Sunday Night Baseball.
Chicago is averaging 8.34 strikeouts per game this season, roughly average compared to all other 29 MLB teams. However, in their last three starts, the Cubs are on an uptick, averaging 9.67 strikeouts per game.
Liberatore has been a punch-out machine lately. He's recorded over 4.5 strikeouts in four straight starts, including nine strikeouts against the Pirates and 10 more against the Brewers in his last outing on May 25th.
Bet on Liberatore to go over 4.5 Ks against his division rival tonight.
💣 Cubs vs. Cardinals home run prediction
JJ Wetherholt to hit a home run (+760)
Cardinals rookie 2B, JJ Wetherholt, must be licking his chops ahead of facing off against Wicks tonight. Wetherholt is second in home runs for St. Louis this year, tallying nine bombs, so this is the best matchup he could get to bust a nine-game drought.
Wetherholt ranks 80th in hard-hit percentage (47.4) and 74th in xSLG (.457). Wicks just got shelled by the Pirates, giving up one home run in less than five full innings.
Six of Wetherholt's home runs have been in Busch Stadium, further incentivizing us to back him in the home run prop betting market at a massive +760 price.
💥 Lookin' for more home runs
Well, that's good. Because I have more home run predictions today.
🚀 Cubs vs. Cardinals same-game parlay
We've seen the Cardinals cover +1.5 once against the Cubs in this series. Let's roll with the home underdog in the run line market, then pair it with over 8.5 total runs for the second leg with a pair of pitchers each allowing well Over 4.5 runs per game. Finally, we're backing Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera to go Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs following his solo home run that led to a 6-5 win over the Cubs on Friday night.
💵 Cubs vs. Cardinals SGP picks
- Cardinals +1.5 (-180)
- Over 8.5 (-105)
- Ivan Herrera O 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs (-145)
Best odds: +413 via DraftKings (0.5u -> 2.06u)
💡 How I'm betting Cubs vs. Cardinals: MLB strategy
Follow all of our MLB analysis and expert predictions for baseball season.
We're staking 3 units on four different plays in tonight's Sunday Night Baseball matchup between the Cubs and Cardinals. St. Louis to win warrants a 1.15-unit wager, along with another 1.10-unit wager on Matthew Liberatore to continue racking up Over 4.5 strikeouts.
We'll scale it down for a JJ Wetherholt home run, worth a quarter unit (0.25) at +760 odds. Then, a final 0.50 unit wager on a three-leg SGP that features the Cardinals +1.5, Over 8.5 runs, and Ivan Herrera to go Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs at greater than a 4:1 price.
📊 Live Cubs vs. Cardinals odds
Since lines opened, there's been notable movement in favor of the Cardinals. St. Louis has gone from -106 to a -118 moneyline favorite at some of the best sports betting sites, while the total has moved down from 9 to 8.5.
📈 Cubs vs. Cardinals betting trends
| Cubs | Statistic | Cardinals |
|---|---|---|
| 32-27 | W-L record | 30-26 |
| 24-35 | Run line record | 33-23 |
| 33-26 | O/U record | 24-29-3 |
| 3-7 | Last 10 games | 3-7 |
| 4.17 | Team ERA | 4.21 |
| .240 | Team batting avg. | .277 |
| .726 | OPS | .701 |
🚑 Cubs vs. Cardinals injuries
📺 How to watch Cubs vs. Cardinals
- Date: Sunday, May 31
- First pitch: 7:20 p.m. ET
- Ballpark: Busch Stadium (St. Louis)
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock
- Cubs starter: Jordan Wicks (0-1, 16.62 ERA)
- Cardinals starter: Matthew Liberatore (2-3, 4.76 ERA)
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