Sunday Night Baseball has rolled around again, and this week we are blessed with another classic rivalry. Two NL Central teams go head to head as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Chicago Cubs for a series finale at Wrigley Field. The Cubs lead the current series 2-1, but they lost last night to St. Louis, 5-4. These games have been incredibly close, with the Cubs outscoring the Cardinals 15-12 in three games so far this series. This will actually be the 13th and final matchup between these division rivals this season, and St. Louis will walk away as the overall winners.
Regular Season Series
The Cardinals lead the Cubs 7-5 this season with just one game to play, but they will certainly want to win in order to even up this final four game series. St. Louis is just 5.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, and are 2 games out of a Wild Card spot. While the Cubs are in last place of the division, there is still time for them to make a playoff push. Chicago is 5-3 in their L8 games, and they are 29-26 overall at home this season. The Cubbies hit .233 as a team, with that average dropping down to .226 at Wrigley and .230 against RHP, whom they face today in Miles Mikolas.
The Cardinals are 28-29 on the road this year, but they can’t seem to figure out lefties. St. Louis hits .246 as a team, .243 on the road, but just .230 against LHP, and they have a tough battle in Justin Steele tonight. Steele isn’t having a Cy Young caliber season like he has in the past, but he’s still a stud for the Cubs and enjoys pitching at home.
Can he lead the Cubs to a home victory? Or will the Cardinals win the game and the series tonight?
St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs: Sunday Night Showdown
Can Mikolas lead the Cardinals to a road victory?
Game Information – Cardinals vs Cubs
- Venue & Location: Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL)
- Date: Sunday, August 4th, 2024
- First Pitch: 7:00pm Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Cardinals vs Cubs Starting Pitchers
- St. Louis Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (8-8, 4.99 ERA, 1.23 WHIP)
- Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele (2-5, 3.38 ERA, 1.11 WHIP)
Betting Odds
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Run Line
- Cardinals +1.5 (-158)
- Cubs -1.5 (+138)
Money Line
- Cardinals +130
- Cubs -142
Total
- Over 8.5 (-130)
- Under 8.5 (+110)
Can Steele Shine at Home against St. Louis?
Can Justin Steele lead the Cubs to victory on Sunday Night Baseball?
Justin Steele has not pitched against the Cardinals yet this season, but he has had some rough outings since the All Star Break. In 3 starts since the break, Steele has pitched 15 innings with a 7.20 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. He’s lost two of those starts, and two of them were at home as well. Even with the Cardinals depleted numbers against lefties, Steele has not been pitching well, meaning he could give up plenty of scoring opportunities. Although he has only been credited with 5 losses this year, the Cubs are just 5-12 in Steele’s 19 starts this season. Historically, Steele pitches very well against St. Louis, with a career record of 4-1 in 6 starts against St. Louis.
But, that all could change tonight. Miles Mikolas pitches much better on the road, and he’s seen the Cubs before. Mikolas has his 4.99 ERA drop all the way to 3.89 on the road, and his 1.23 WHIP down to 1.14. The Cardinals are 2-0 in Mikolas’ starts since the break, and he’s picked up a win in one of those games as well. He’s pitched against the Cubs 3 times already this year, and is 1-1 in those games.
Mikolas Against Cubs
- 17.2 Innings Pitched
- 5.23 ERA
- 1.05 WHIP
His ERA is slightly inflated due to him allowing 4 home runs the last time he saw Chicago. But the one time he saw them at Wrigley, he shut them down. At Wrigley Field on June 16th, Mikolas pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 5 hitters. Mikolas has won 4 of his L5 road starts, and his last loss on the road was all the way back on May 31st. I think he comes to play today on the road against batters he is very familiar with. As for the Cardinals, they are looking to get some revenge on Steele and the Cubs, and it hurts me to say I think they might do just that.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Best Bets
Can Mikolas shutdown the Cubs at Wrigley Field?
Cardinals vs Cubs Prediction: Cardinals Win
Best Bet: Miles Mikolas Under 2.5 Earned Runs (-105) BetOnline
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Mikolas has a career ERA of 2.97 against the Cubs, and a 1.18 WHIP. It’s been statistically proven that he pitches much better on the road, and I see him doing so again tonight. Mikolas has stayed under this number in 5 straight road starts, and 7 of 12 road starts this season, giving up 3 runs on 3 separate occasions. I do not trust the Cubs bats at the moment, and have no problem fading a team that is in last place of their division. This season, Mikolas has allowed 6, 1, and 3 earned runs to the Cubs in his starts. I see him shoving on the road and possibly shutting out the Cubs for the first 5 innings.
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