St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/03/2024

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Saturday, August 3, 2024

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  BSMW

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +100, Cubs -120; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +100, Cubs -120; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +100, Cubs -120; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

St Louis Cardinals:  56-53 (2nd place, NL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  53-58 (5th place, NL Central)

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St Louis Cardinals:  4-6 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  5-5 last 10

The Cardinals are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Texas Rangers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 56-53 record overall and have a road record of 27-28. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Cubs on Saturday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Friday. The Cardinals lost the series opener of this series on Thursday. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .699 OPS. Erick Fedde is their starting pitcher on Friday while Kyle Gibson is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 7-4 with a 3.97 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 3 BB with 0 Ks on 6 hits through 5 IP against the Washington Nationals.

The Cubs are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 53-58 record overall and have a home record of 28-25. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Cardinals on Saturday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Friday. The Cubs won the 1st game of this series on Thursday. Their offense ranks 21st in the MLB with a .689 OPS. Javier Assad is their starting pitcher on Friday while Jameson Taillon is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 7-6 with a 3.35 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 6 earned runs, 2 homers, and 1 BB with 4 strikeouts on 6 hits through 4.1 innings played against the Cincinnati Reds.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs haven't looked good in their games this season with their 53-58 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 28-25 home record. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 56-53 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 27-28 in those this season. The Cubs are 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Cardinals have been slipping lately, now 4-6 in their last 10 games. They already lost the 1st game of this series and now they are going to have Gibson on the mound here who hasn't been lights out this season. He is 7-4 with a 3.97 ERA and only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but he isn't going to pitch as well being on the road here. His team has also lost 2 games in a row with him starting and the Cubs offense has been getting better lately while the Cardinals are cooling off now. The Cubs are going to have Taillon on the mound here and he has been a really reliable starter for them this season. He is 7-6 with a 3.35 ERA and will be looking to bounce back after a terrible start in his last one. He gave up 6 earned runs in his last start and his team has now lost 2 games in a row with him starting, but he has been really consistent as a starter this season and will bounce back with a better performance at home. The Cubs aren't really in the playoff race themselves, but they have looked a lot better lately, playing better in their home games too, and they will be looking to spoil the Cardinals playoff run with a series win here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Cardinals Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 3, 2024 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Cubs 3 Cardinals 2.

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St Louis Cardinals: 8-2 (+5.60 units) on the runline in their last 10 away games. 16-9(+5.60 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 25 away games. 33-23 to the under with their first 5 team total in their last 56 away games. 

Chicago Cubs: 33-50 (-27.70 units) on the runline in their last 83 games. 15-27 (-16.05 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 42 home games. 25-13 to the under with their team total in their last 38 home games. 

St Louis Cardinals:  L. Lynn (SP) Mid Aug - Knee. 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. A. Alzolay (RP) out for season - Forearm.

“He’s (Helsley) been really, really good. It’s hard to put that game on him. This guy has carried us the way through this year. You’re going to have games like that. Unfortunately this one didn’t work out.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s loss against the Cubs in their game on Thursday.

“I feel like the at-bats that entire inning were so good. Ultimately we were able to come up with some big hits in the end.” - Dansby Swanson after their win against the Cardinals in their game on Thursday.

M Winn (R) SS

W Contreras (R) DH

P Goldschmidt (R) 1B

N Arenado (R) 3B

T Pham (R) LF

B Donovan (L) 2B

L Nootbaar (L) RF

P Pagés (R) C

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 (.600)

Hits:  Masyn Winn (106)

Home Runs:  Nolan Gorman (19)

RBI:  Alec Burleson (63)

Stolen Bases:  Michael Siani (14)

Wins:  Sonny Gray (10)

Saves:  Ryan Helsley (33)

ERA:  Ryan Loutos (0.00)

Batting Average:  Christian Bethancourt (.375)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (100)

Home Runs:  Ian Happ (17)

RBI:  Ian Happ (62)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (20)

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)