St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs 4/18/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Luke Weaver vs. Jon Lester

The St. Louis Cardinals head to Wrigley Field on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 to take on the Chicago Cubs. The expected starting pitchers are Luke Weaver for the Cardinals and Jon Lester for the Cubs.

The odds for this matchup have St. Louis at +120 and Chicago at -130. The Cardinals have a 7-9-0 over/under mark and a 9-7-0 run line record. The Cubs are 7-7-0 against the run line and have a 6-8-0 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 7-9-0 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 9-7-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 6-8-0 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 7-7-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

04/13/18 P Sam Tuivailala Knee 10-day DL (04/10)
04/03/18 2B Jedd Gyorko Hamstring 10-day DL (04/03)
03/31/18 P Alex Reyes Elbow 60-day DL (03/31)
03/31/18 P Brett Cecil Shoulder 10-day DL (03/31)
03/30/18 P Luke Gregerson Hamstring 10-day DL (03/26)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (02/16)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 9-7 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Luke Weaver has a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 2.08 and a WHIP of 0.98 this year. He has 17 strikeouts over his 17.1 innings pitched and he's given up 12 hits. He allows 6.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.27 and they have given up 53 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .261 against the bullpen and they've struck out 56 hitters and walked 25 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.3. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 132 base hits and 53 earned runs. They have allowed 16 home runs this season, ranking them 18th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 61 batters and struck out 145. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 3.93.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .246, good for 8th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .414 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Yadier Molina is hitting .288 with an on-base percentage of .295. He has 17 hits this season in 59 at bats with 12 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .559 and an OPS+ of 133. Jose Martinez is hitting .364 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .446. He has totaled 20 hits and he has driven in 15 men in 55 at bats. His OPS+ is 190 while his slugging percentage is at .600. The Cardinals have 134 hits, including 19 doubles and 24 home runs. St. Louis has walked 58 times so far this season and they have struck out 146 times as a unit. They have left 108 men on base and have a team OPS of .736. They score 4.62 runs per contest and have scored a total of 74 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 7-7 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.40, Jon Lester has a 1-0 record and a 1.67 WHIP this season. He has 11 strikeouts over the 14.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 17 hits. He allows 10.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.13. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.09 and they have given up 42 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .192 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 58 batters and walked 25 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 3.89. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 122 base knocks and 57 earned runs this season. They have given up 14 home runs this year, which ranks 21st in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 63 hitters and struck out 119 batters. They give up a walk 4.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.23.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 11th in the league. The Cubs hold a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 8.7 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .352 with an OBP of .493. He has 19 hits this year along with 8 RBI in 54 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .611 with an OPS+ of 199. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .238 this season and he has an OBP of .347. He has collected 10 hits in 42 at bats while driving in 7 runs. He has an OPS+ of 133 and a slugging percentage of .524. The Cubs as a unit have 122 base hits, including 31 doubles and 15 homers. Chicago has walked 57 times this year and they have struck out on 133 occasions. They have had 118 men left on base and have an OPS of .742. They have scored 5.14 runs per game and totaled 72 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Cardinals/Cubs MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs -130

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