Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals 7/27/2023 Prediction, Analysis, and Odds
The Chicago Cubs will continue their road trips as they invade Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, to take on division rival St. Louis Cardinals in the opening match of an MLB National League Central Division four-game competition on Thursday evening. The Chi-Cows improved to 50-51 after winning five consecutive contests, raised their record to 22-25 when playing away from home following two straight road triumphs, and placed third in the NL Central with 4.5 games ahead of St. Louis in fourth place.
The Cubs recorded 486 runs scored to date and wasted 441 for a +45 run difference throughout the season. The Chi Cubs enter this NL Central competition looking to extend their winning streak to six after winning five matchups in a row, including a sweep over the Chi White Sox last time out. Second Baseman Christopher Morel delivered two runs for the Cubs in a six-run blast on just three hits in the fifth frame as the Chi Cubs outmatched crosstown rival Chi White Sox 10-7 on Wednesday evening.
The Chicago Cubs management will appoint Left-handed Pitcher Justin Steele to start the NL Central three-game series opening on Thursday night. The southpaw thrower marked a 10-3 record for the year with an excellent 2.95 ERA and a solid 1.11 WHIP and struck out a total of 96 batters in his starts while dropping 94 hits, 21 free walks, and six home runs through 103. 2 innings pitched this season. Steele came up strong in his last start, as the left-hander gave up only two runs but fanned out nine batters in earning a 4-3 home triumph for the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The totals went OVER in 11 of the Chicago Cubs’ last 14 outings, and the Cubs are 5-0 SU in their previous five matches played. The Chicago Cubs are 5-2 straight up in their last seven contests played versus St. Louis, while the totals went OVER in 5 of the Cubs’ last six road games. The Chicago Cubs are 1-7 SU in their previous eight outings when playing on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals 7/27/2023 Prediction, Analysis, and Odds
The St. Louis Cardinals are limping on the way home after four losses out of seven road outings played and will try to get back when hosting the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. St. Louis fell to 46-57 after losing four of the last six contests, posted a 22-26 home record, and placed fourth in the NL Central, 4.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs in third place. The Cardinals have 494 runs scored to date but have also given up 512 for a run differential of -18 over the year. The St. Louis Cardinals struggled when playing away from home, winning only three of the last seven road matches, including an 11-7 road triumph over the Arizona Diamondbacks last time out. Second Baseman Nolan Gorman owned two of the Cardinals’ five home runs scored in an 11-7 road victory versus the D-Backs on Wednesday.
The St. Louis Cardinals management will turn to 34-year-old righty Miles Mikolas to start the first installment of a series against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. The right-handed starter posted a 6-5 record on the season with an ERA of 4.33 and an excellent WHIP of 1.31 and has retired 86 hitters in his starts while conceding 141 hits, 25 free bases, and 12 long balls across 126.2 frames of work this year. In his recent appearance on the mound, Mikolas was hit hard across 5.0 innings pitched, conceding 11 hits and five runs in a 6-8 road loss to the Chicago Cubs.
The St. Louis Cardinals are 10-5 SU in their last 15 contests, and the Cardinals are 5-0 straight up in their previous five home matches. St. Louis is 7-1 SU in their last eight outings when playing at home versus the Chicago Cubs, while the totals went OVER in 9 of the Cardinals’ last 12 games played when there was no favorite. The totals went OVER in four of the St. Louis Cardinals’ last five contests played on a Thursday at home.
Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals. The MLB Pick for this contest is the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs have the momentum in this matchup after winning five games in a row, while the Cardinals struggled with four losses out of their recent six outings. After finishing 101 contests, Chicago ranked 12th in OPS and 10th in runs scored, while St. Louis ranked 7th in OPS and 11th in runs scored for the season. Take the visiting team to win this match on Thursday. The prediction: The Chicago Cubs will win 6-3.
MLB Starting Time: 7:45 PM ET
Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri
Date: Thursday, July 27, 2023
TV: MLBN
MLB Odds/Point Spread: Chicago Cubs +100
MLB Totals: 9.0
