The St. Louis Cardinals (43-53) and the Chicago Cubs (45-50) will start a four-game divisional series on Thursday, July 20. First pitch from Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois is set for 8:05 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ESPN+. St. Louis will start southpaw Steven Matz (0-7, 4.86 ERA), while Chicago counters with ace Marcus Stroman (10-6, 2.88 ERA).
The Cubs are the -120 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cardinals are the +100 underdogs, with the run total is set at 8.5.
Cardinals-Cubs picks: Thursday, July 20
Injury report
Cardinals
Out: SP Adam Wainwright (shoulder), RP Drew VerHagen (hip), CP Ryan Helsley (forearm), CF Tommy Edman (wrist)
Cubs
Out: SS Dansby Swanson (heel), 2B/3B Nick Madrigal (hamstring)
Starting pitchers
Steven Matz vs. Marcus Stroman
Matz will make his 21st appearance and 13th start of the season. He has suffered from a lack of consistent run support but also hasn’t been consistent on the mound. He pitched 5.1 shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox but then followed that up by allowing four earned in 4.1 innings against the Washington Nationals his last time out.
Stroman will make his 21st start of the year on Thursday. After three straight games allowing at least three earned runs, he finally settled down his last time out. Stroman pitched six innings against the Boston Red Sox, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out three and walking one. With ample run support, Stroman notched his 10th victory of the season.
Over/Under pick
The Cubs have the eighth-highest percentage of games hitting the over in the league. 54.4% of Chicago’s games hit the over, compared to 51.6% for the Cardinals. St. Louis has scored at least five runs in each game since coming out of the All-Star break. Chicago has scored at least five runs in five straight games and 25 runs over their last two games.
Pick: Over 8.5
Moneyline pick
St. Louis has won five games in a row and is coming off a successful sweep of the Miami Marlins. Chicago won the final two of their three-game series against the Nationals, outscoring Washington 25-6 over those wins. Matz is still searching for his first win on the mound, and I don’t think he will get it against the Cubs.
Pick: Cubs