In the National League Central, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will start a four-game series from Busch Stadium on Thursday. The Cubs have won five in a row, including back-to-back wins over the White Sox. The Cubs are now 50-51 on the season. Chicago is 6 games back of first place in the division. The Cardinals are coming off two out of three wins at Arizona over the weekend. St. Louis was able to beat Zac Gallen in the win on Wednesday. The Cardinals are now 46-57 but still in fourth place in the National League Central.
These two teams played last weekend. The Cardinals won the first game of the series before the Cubs won the next three games. St. Louis is a small favorite in this game. The Cardinals are listed at -120, while the total for this game is listed at 9 runs.
Solid Pitching Matchup for Game 1
The Chicago Cubs are going to send Justin Steele to the mound for this one. On the other side, Miles Mikolas will get the start for the Cardinals.
Steele is having a fantastic season. The 28-year-old lefthander is 10-3 on the season, with a 2.95 earned run average. Steele has struck out 96 batters in 103.2 innings this season. In his last start against the Cardinals, he allowed just six hits and two runs over 6.1 innings.
Miles Mikolas will turn 35 in August but continues to be effective in the league. Mikolas is 6-5 on the season, with a 4.33 earned run average. His last start against the Cubs was not great, allowing 11 hits over five innings and yielding five runs. The right-hander is set to make his team-leading 23rd start of the season.
Cardinals Looking to Get Pay Back
St. Louis was playing good baseball for a while, winning six in a row, before losing three straight last weekend against the Cubs. The Cardinals would love nothing more than to get back on a winning streak this weekend against Chicago. The Cardinals used an offensive outburst to beat Arizona on Wednesday.
Nolan Gorman cracked two home runs for the Cardinals. He now has 22 on the season and 65 runs batted in. Paul Goldschmidt also went deep. He has 18 for St. Louis. The Cardinals are a team looking to trade at the deadline and prepare for the 2024 season.
Cubs Pushing for .500
The Chicago Cubs know they have their backs to the wall for a postseason spot. The Brewers and Reds are ahead of them in the standings, and numerous teams in the wild-card race. The Cubs are 23-25 on the road this season but will do what they can at their divisional rival to the north. Chicago is also a game under .500 for the season.
The Cubs leading offensive threats are Nico Hoerner and Patrick Wisdom. Hoerner is hitting .280 on the season, leading the way. Patrick Wisdom is the top power hitter for the Cubs, with 17 home runs. Chicago’s team batting average is .254, which is 13th in all of Major League Baseball.
In the win on Thursday, Hoerner, Ian Happ, and Christopher Morel all drove in two runs.
Mikolas Throws a Gem
The St. Louis Cardinals have been a big-time disappointment this season. But they still have the talent. Look for the Cardinals to start the series well at home and get a good pitching outing. The Cardinals’ offense gets enough off Steele, and Mikolas throws a gem. St. Louis ruins the Cubs’ win streak. Bet the St. Louis Cardinals -120 over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.
