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The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 8:05 p.m. EST. The game takes place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. Matthew Liberatore will be starting for the Cardinals, while Keegan Thompson will get the nod for the Cubs.
The Cardinals have an extremely talented team this season and have been playing their best baseball as of late. They’re 7-3 in their last 10 games. A big reason for their success as of late is Paul Goldschmidt. He currently has a 23 game hitting streak. On the season, he is hitting .353 with 11 home runs and 43 runs batted in. If he keeps this up, he’ll have a shot at winning NL MVP. On the mound, Matthew Liberatore has been decent. In two starts, Liberatore has a 1-0 record with a 3.72 ERA.
The Cubs have had a disappointing season to say the least. Heading into the season, it was expected that the Cubs would have some struggles. Wilson Contreras has been the Cubs best hitter as he’s hitting .277 with eight home runs and 19 runs batted in. On the mound, Keegan Thompson has been one of the big positive for the Cubs. In seven games and three starts, Thompson is 5-0 with a 1.58 ERA.
Cardinals vs. Cubs
Pitchers: Matthew Liberatore vs. Keegan Thompson
First pitch: 8:05 p.m. EST
Cardinals local broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest
Cubs local broadcast: Marquee Sports Network
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Point spread: Cardinals -1.5
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Cardinals -110, Cubs -110
Moneyline pick: Cardinals -110
The Cardinals are the better overall team. While Keegan Thompson has been phenomenal this season, a bad outing is coming. Against a strong Cardinals lineup, it could be tonight. I also expect 5-6 strong innings from Liberatore in this one.
Player prop pick: Paul Goldschmidt over 1.5 total bases (-105)
All season long, Goldschmidt’s plate discipline has been phenomenal. In his career against Keegan Thompson, Goldschmidt is 2-5 with two home runs. Look for Goldschmidt to wait for the right pitch and have at least one extra-base hit tonight.
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