St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals Roll?

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals Roll?

The Cardinals and Cubs meet for game two of the series in St. Louis after the Cardinals won handily last night 8-0. The Cardinals were met with little resistance in the series opener, and they are now on a roll in the NL Central. The Cardinals now have a 7.5-game lead in the division over the Brewers and are 4-1 over their past five games. I expect them to roll again tonight.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

Date: September 3, 2022

Time: 7:15 pm ET

Where to Watch: MLB.TV

Click Here for Cardinals vs Cubs Odds

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Prediction

Adam Wainwright is the starter for the Cardinals tonight. He is 9-9 on the season with a 3.09 ERA, and the Cardinals are 15-11 when he starts. Wainwright is even better at home, where he is 5-3 with a 2.15 ERA. Wainwright is 41 now, and while it may have appeared like he was slowing down a few years ago, he has pushed all doubt aside and been a profitable pitcher to back. Wainwright went into Chicago on August 23rd and pitched a quality start, going six innings with just two earned runs, but the team lost 0-2.

I think the team avenges Wainwright in this start, as the Cardinals are 34-33 on the road and 43-22 at home. Wainwright has been absolutely brilliant against the Cubs this season. He has three starts against them this season and has a 1.80 ERA in 20 innings against the team. I expect another quality start from Wainwright tonight and more run support behind him with a hot Cardinals offense.

Drew Smyly starts for the Cubs tonight, and he sure has work cut out for him tonight. He faces a Cardinals offense that has produced 6.41 runs per nine innings over their last ten games and has been even hotter at home. The Cardinals rank second in runs per nine at home and third overall in team OPS. They also have been dominating lefties.

The Cardinals are first overall in the league with a .812 OPS against left-handed hitters. Hitters like Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have been raking against southpaws. If the Cardinals put up eight runs last night, I expect them to stay hot against a lefty tonight. Smyly shut them down for the most part in his most recent start on August 22nd, going seven innings with just one earned run, but this isn't an offense I expect him to be able to shut down twice.

We know what we will get from Wainwright tonight. He has dominated the Cubs all season and is one of the best home pitchers in the league this season. The Cubs should get one run and maybe two over the first five here, whereas the Cardinals are set up for a big night. They have all the splits in their favor at home against a lefty, and we are getting a pretty good price on the first-five run line. Take the Cardinals to be leading after five in this contest tonight.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs Pick

2U Pick: Cardinals First 5 -.5 @ -125 (Bet $125 to win $100)

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