Cubs vs Cardinals Series Preview: Chicago Making Playoff Push

St. Louis Continues to Struggle This Season

July 27, 2023 112 3 minutes readMLB Picks & Parlays

Cubs vs Cardinals Series Preview: Chicago Making Playoff Push — Quinn Harris/Getty Images/AFP

Thursday's Game
Friday's Game
Saturday's Game
Sunday's Game

The Cubs vs Cardinals series preview notes Chicago is playing well heading into this four-game series beginning Thursday. Thanks to a five-game winning streak, Chicago has gotten itself right back into the wild card. The Cubs are 4.5 games back in the wild card race and 6.0 games behind Milwaukee for the division lead. The Cardinals are 9.5 games out in the wild-card race and 11.0 games out of the division lead.

The Cubs will send Justin Steele to the mound Thursday. The Cardinals will counter with Miles Mikolas. St. Louis is the slight favorite at -109, and the total is 9.5 juiced to the under. The Cardinals are +170 on the run line.

Chicago is 50-51 on the season and 23-25 on the road. The Cubs are No. 12 in the MLB stats for team batting average and No. 10 in runs scored. So the offense is holding its own. The pitching staff is pretty average, ranking No. 14 in team ERA. Chicago has just 17 saves on the season, tied for No. 28.

St. Louis is 47-57 on the season and 22-26 at home. The Cardinals are No. 8 in team batting average and No. 11 in runs scored. The MLB power rankings have St. Louis at No. 6 in home runs and No. 7 in slugging percentage. The Cardinals’ biggest problem this season has been relief pitching. St. Louis is No. 20 in team ERA, but has converted just 24 of 48 save opportunities. No other team has as many blown saves as St. Louis.

Thursday’s Game

The Cubs vs Cardinals series preview shows Steele is 10-3 with a 2.95 ERA. The Cubs have gone 11-7 in the games he’s started and 3-3 when he starts on the road. Mikolas is 6-5 with a 4.33 ERA. St. Louis is 10-12 when Mikolas starts and 4-6 at home.

Eight of his 10 home starts have gone over the total. St. Louis is 10-14 against left-handed starters this season. Three of those losses have come against Steele. The Cubs won 9-1 with Steele on the mound last month and Chicago won 4-3 last week. The Cubs and Steele won 10-4 in May. It’s hard to go against Steele, considering the success he’s had against St. Louis this season.

Friday’s Game

The Cubs vs Cardinals series preview shows the Cubs haven’t named a starter for Friday. The Cardinals have listed Jordan Montgomery, who is 6-8 with a 3.37 ERA.

The Cardinals are 7-13 with Montgomery on the mound. However, they’ve won four of his last six starts. But Chicago is a solid 18-13 against left-handers this season. The Cubs have beaten Montgomery twice this season and are probably the right side to be on in this one.

Saturday’s Game

Jameson Taillon is expected to get the start for the Cubs in Saturday night’s game, while Adam Wainwright will start for St. Louis. Both pitchers have struggled this season, as Taillon is 4-6 with a 5.75 ERA. The Cubs are just 5-12 with Taillon on the mound.

They have won his last three starts by a combined 27-5 margin. Wainwright is 3-4 with a 7.31 ERA. St. Louis is 5-7 with Wainwright on the hill. But the Cardinals have allowed six runs or more in his last four starts. The MLB predictions expect a fair number of runs to be scored in this one.

Sunday’s Game

Kyle Hendricks and Steven Matz are expected to get the starts in the series finale on Sunday. Hendricks is pitching well, owning a 4-4 record with a 3.45 ETA. Matz is 1-7 with a 4.34 ERA, so he’s pitched better than his record indicated.

The Cubs are 8-4 with Hendricks on the mound and have won four of his last five starts. Chicago is 5-1 when he starts on the road. The Cardinals are 5-9 with Matz on the mound. They have gone 3-1 in his last four starts, allowing 14 runs in those four games. But with the Cubs hitting the ball better against left-handed pitchers, Chicago is probably the right side to be on in this game.

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