Cubs vs Cardinals Prediction, Odds & Picks (July 27)

The Chicago Cubs have a chance to reach the .500 mark if they can beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, July 27 It’s the beginning of a four-game series between these NL Central rivals, making it interesting to see who’ll start the Cubs vs Cardinals festivities on the right foot.

Cubs vs Cardinals

Thu – 6:45pm CT | Steele?
Fri – 7:15pm CT | TBD?
Sat – 6:15pm CT | Taillon?
Sun – 1:15pm CT | Hendricks? pic.twitter.com/rAZ60hyvM1

— Chief Cub (@ChiefCub) July 27, 2023

The Cubs head to Busch Stadium as one of the MLB’s hottest clubs, winning their last five games in a row. They’re fresh off last night’s 10-7 win over the Chicago White Sox which was highlighted by a massive six-run fifth inning for the Cubs that put them ahead of their cross-town foes for the rest of the game.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals return to St. Louis after going 3-4 on their seven-game road trip. They are coming off Wednesday’s 11-7 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which saw second baseman Nolan Gorman lead the way with his two-home run, three-RBI performance.

Can the Cubs extend their winning streak to six straight games? Or will the hometown crowd boost the Cardinals in their Busch Stadium return?

Here’s a look at everything you know heading into tonight’s Cubs vs Cardinals matchup, from the latest betting odds to a prediction with the best betting recommendation, courtesy of Betting News.

Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Game Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Chicago Cubs (50-51, 23-25 Away) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (46-57, 22-26 Home)
• Venue & Location: Busch Stadium (St. Louis, Missouri)
• Date: Thursday, July 27, 2023
• Game Time: 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time
• Where to Watch Cubs vs Cardinals: Marquee Sports Network, MLB.TV

Cubs vs Cardinals Odds

Game odds as of Thursday, July 27 at 8:48 a.m. ET from BetOnline. Odds from other sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Chicago Cubs +1.5 (-195)
• St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+170)

Over/Under

• Over 9 Runs (-108)
• Under 9 Runs (-112)

Moneyline

• Chicago Cubs +104
• St. Louis Cardinals -114

Cubs vs Cardinals Starting Pitchers

• Cubs: Justin Steele (18 starts —10-3, 2.95 ERA)
• Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (22 starts —6-5, 4.33 ERA)

Cubs vs Cardinals Betting Trends

• The Cubs are 5-0 straight up in their last five games.
• St. Louis is 10-5 straight up in its last 15 games.
• The total has hit the over in five of the Cubs’ last six games.
• The total has hit the over in four of St. Louis’ last five home games on a Thursday.

Cubs vs Cardinals Game Preview

This game marks the start of the final Cubs vs Cardinals series of the 2023 MLB season. It’s been fairly even thus far with Chicago winning five of those games while St. Louis has tallied four victories.

Having said that, the Cubs have stood tall more often than not lately, going 5-2 in the last seven matchups with their NL Central rival. Chicago most recently snagged three victories in four games against St. Louis at Wrigley Field last week, further proving who has whose number at the moment.

Interestingly enough, the Cubs plan on starting Justin Steele, who went up against the Cardinals last week. The southpaw pitched 6 1/3 innings against St. Louis on July 21, striking out nine batters while allowing two runs on six hits in a 4-3 victory for Chicago.

The victory helped Steele improve to a 4-1 record with a 3.53 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 35 2/3 innings in his last six starts.

Justin Steele's 2 1st Inning Ks. pic.twitter.com/XMKHauYuPQ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 21, 2023

On the other side, the Cardinals are rolling with Miles Mikolas, who came up short against the Cubs on July 22. The former 2009 seventh-rounder surrendered five earned runs on 11 hits over just five innings that game, playing a big role in his club’s 8-6 loss.

Mikolas’ recent play at Busch Stadium also raises some concerns. While it’s a small sample size, he’s pitched to a 5.66 ERA in his last four home starts, giving up 13 earned runs, 21 hits, and two HRs over 20 2/3 innings.

Nevertheless, the Cardinals have had the Cubs’ number in St. Louis. The Cards won seven of their previous eight home games against Chicago, outscoring their divisional foe by an average of 2.5 runs per contest.

Even with that poor luck, the Cubs can’t be underestimated. Not only have they won five of their last six National League matchups, but they're 7-4 on the road against the NL Central this season. For reference, the Cardinals are 6-6 in divisional home games.

Cubs vs Cardinals Prediction and Picks

Cubs vs Cardinals Prediction: Cubs 6, Cardinals 4

Cubs vs Cardinals Best Bet: Cubs ML (Best Value: +104 on BetOnline ) & Over 9 Total Runs (-108 on BetOnline)

Backed by an impressive winning streak, I’m taking the Cubs to stand tall tonight. Not only are they heating up at the right time, but they also easily handled the Cardinals last week, outscoring them 19-11 in the last three meetings alone.

Throw in the fact that St. Louis is just 1-7 against NL East left-handed pitchers this season and I like Chicago’s shot at an upset win even more.

Another solid Cubs vs Cardinals bet is taking the over on the 9-run total. On top of the over being 11-3 in Chicago’s last 14 games, it’s also 18-11-2 for St. Louis in its last 31 NL matchups at Busch Stadium. With the last seven Chicago-St. Louis matchups averaging 10.7 runs, I’m confident that we’ll see a fair amount of offense tonight.

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