The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs in the final game of a four-game series on Sunday, July 23. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field. Jordan Montgomery (6-7, 3.14 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals, and Jameson Taillon (3-6, 6.05 ERA) will pitch for the Cubs.
St. Louis is the -145 moneyline favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Chicago coming in at +125. The total is set at 9.5.
Cardinals-Cubs picks: Sunday, July 23
Injury report
Cardinals
Day to day: INF/OF Brendan Donovan (shoulder)
Out: SP Adam Wainwright (shoulder), RP Drew VerHagen (hip), CP Ryan Helsley (forearm), OF/INF Tommy Edman (wrist)
Cubs
Out: SS Dansby Swanson (heel), INF Nick Madrigal (hamstring)
Starting pitchers
Jordan Montgomery vs. Jameson Taillon
Montgomery’s July has been remarkable. Over 17 innings pitched this month, he has allowed just two earned runs and recorded six strikeouts. He has a July ERA of 1.06, following up a June ERA of 1.71 over five starts. Earlier this season, he allowed the Cubs six earned runs in five innings.
Taillon had an excellent performance against the Yankees just before the All-Star break, keeping them runless over eight innings. In his latest start after the break, he conceded three runs in 5.2 innings against the Nationals, which is much more in line with his usual performance. He conceded four runs in 2.2 innings against the Cardinals earlier this season.
Over/Under pick
The totals of the first three games were 9, 7, and 14. With Montgomery on the mound on his current trajectory, I don’t see the Cubs adding many — if any — runs. The Cardinals should be able to make quick work of Taillon again, but I don’t think they reach the total on their own.
Pick: Under 9.5
Moneyline pick
The Cardinals won the first game of the series, and the Cubs have won the next two. I think St. Louis will be able to even it out here. Montgomery’s form right now is incomparable, and he should be able to keep this momentum that he’s built through June and July as he takes the mound at Wrigley Field.
Pick: Cardinals -145