From Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have the Cardinals and Cubs facing off in an NL Central matchup. First pitch for Friday’s game is set for 2:20 PM ET. MLBN is carrying this game on TV, and the money line odds have the Cardinals at -115 compared to the Cubs at -104. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
St. Louis is currently 2nd in the NL Central, while the Cubs are 5th, as they have an overall record of 53-58. The Cardinals have a record of 56-53. Javier Assad is slated to start for the Cubs, and he will be facing off against an Erick Fedde for the Cardinals.
Cardinals Aim to Close Gap in NL Central with Fedde on the Mound and Hot Hitters Leading the Charge
St. Louis is 56-53 overall and 16-17 in divisional games, which has them 2nd in the NL Central, 5.5 games behind the Brewers. The Cardinals are 29-25 at home and 27-28 on the road. They are 29-26 as the favorite and 27-27 as the underdog. The Cardinals are 10-7 as the road favorite this season. The Cardinals are sending Erick Fedde to the mound today, and he is 7-4 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
St. Louis has a combined run average of 8.7 runs per game this season and an over/under record of 53-53. Their record when the over/under line is set at 8 runs is 8-11-1. The over has hit in four straight games for the Cardinals. The Cardinals are 55-54 against the run line this season. Offensively, they are averaging 4.2 runs per game, and they are facing a Cubs team with an over/under line of 8 runs. The Cardinals have a few hitters on hitting streaks, including Nolan Arenado, Tommy Pham, Michael Siani, Iván Herrera, and Masyn Winn.
Cubs Look to Extend Winning Streak Amidst Struggles in NL Central
Chicago is 5th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 9.5 games. The Cubs are 53-58 overall and have a 15-25 record against other teams in the NL Central. They are 28-25 at home and 25-33 on the road. The Cubs have won two straight games and are 10-6 as the home underdog this season.
Today’s over/under line is set at 8 runs, and the Cubs are 5-14-1 when the line is set at 8 runs. Chicago’s games are averaging 8.4 runs per game this year. Javier Assad is 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA and has made 19 starts. He is averaging 8.18 strikeouts per nine innings and is coming off a no-decision vs. the Cardinals on July 13th. The Cubs offense is near the bottom of the league in several key offensive categories, and they have a few hitters who have been performing well recently, including Seiya Suzuki, who is hitting .370 over his last 7 games.
Cubs Edge Nationals 6-5: Assad and Fedde Battle on the Mound
Our predicted final score for this one is 6-5 in favor of the Cubs, and with them on the money line at -104, there is some good value there. Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Javier Assad finishing with five strikeouts, and he is projected to finish 20th among starters in terms of total strikeouts.
As for Erick Fedde, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and he is a good option if you’re looking for a DFS pitcher. However, we have him finishing with the 11th most strikeouts among starters.
