- 1 St. Louis Cardinals – Chicago Cubs: A division scrap with both sides desperate to spark life
- 2 The St. Louis Cardinals are looking for a spark at home
- 3 Chicago are looking to get moving again
- 4 MLB pick St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs
- 5 Before anything else, a word on our picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals
St. Louis Cardinals – Chicago Cubs: A division scrap with both sides desperate to spark life 
Despite some very recent turbulence – both teams were on a four-game losing streak not long ago – the St. Louis Cardinals and the visitors from Illinois are still hanging around the middle of the National League standings. This one matters. A win here would give one side a proper boost and a place in the top six in the conference. Who takes the chance? We find out on 31 May at 01h15. For this regular-season matchup, bookmakers have the Cardinals at 2.25 and the visitors at 1.68. After breaking down the trends and the numbers, we have found the strongest angle. Our pick is below.
The St. Louis Cardinals are looking for a spark at home 
The Cardinals’ numbers over their last ten outings tell the story of a rough patch, with just 3 wins and 7 defeats. At home, they have taken only 2 wins from their last 5 games, with 3 frustrating losses mixed in. Purely on the scoreboard, the Cardinals are averaging 3.3 runs per game, while the pitching staff is showing signs of wear by allowing 4.7 runs a night. Bouncing back in front of their own fans against a long-time rival would be a solid test.
Chicago are looking to get moving again 
As they head to the Cardinals’ park, the Illinois side are not arriving in sparkling form either. They have managed just 2 wins from their last ten outings, though both of those came on the road. With 8 defeats in that stretch, including 3 away from home, the team needs a lift if it is to derail the Cardinals’ plans. Their bats are also producing 3.3 runs per game, while the defence is giving up 5.1 on average. In other words, both pitching staffs have been generous, which could open this one right up.
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MLB pick St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs
Over 8.5 total runs
When two sides are short on confidence and neither looks overly keen to lock things down, games tend to open up fast. That usually means messy baseball, but plenty of runs for everyone else. One key trend backs that up: in seven of the visitors’ last eight MLB games, the two teams combined for nine runs or more. With both rotations looking leaky and both lineups needing to do something at the plate to get moving again, backing an open game with over 8.5 runs feels like the smartest call here against the Cardinals.
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