Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 5/22/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Saturday, May 22, 2021

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Busch Stadium is the site where Miles Mikolas and the St. Louis Cardinals (25-18, 1st in NL Central) will take on the Chicago Cubs (21-21, 2nd in NL Central) on Saturday.

Chicago has a slugging rate of .409 and have been called out on strikes 400 times, while being walked on 144 occasions. They have earned 183 runs batted in as well as 319 base knocks on the season, and their team batting average sits at .238. The Cubs have accumulated 61 doubles as a squad and have smacked 50 balls out of the park. They have racked up 190 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .321. As a squad, the Chicago Cubs are notching 4.6 runs per game, which ranks them 8th in MLB.

Cubs pitchers have conceded 52 home runs in addition to 185 total runs (17th in MLB). They have walked 160 batters and their FIP sits at 4.54 as a unit on the campaign. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.34 and their pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.37. The Cubs have compiled a team earned run average of 4.26 over the course of the season (19th in baseball), and their staff has rung up 374 hitters.

The Cubs have dispatched 161 relief pitchers to the hill so far this season. The relief pitchers have inherited 77 runners over the course of the season and 28.6% of them ended up scoring. They have accumulated 10 saves over the course of the season and have not converted 5 of their 15 save opportunities. The Cubs relief pitchers have recorded a save percentage of 66.7% and stepped onto the hill in 46 save situations. The relief pitchers have racked up 30 holds so far this season (2nd in the league). Cubs relief pitchers have come into the game with players on base 51 times as well as having 57 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Cubs have turned 69.1% of balls hit into play into outs in their 3,270 innings on the field, ranking them 20th in pro baseball. The Chicago Cubs have amassed 1,090 putouts at this point in the season, in addition to 410 assists and 20 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .987 which has them sitting 4th in pro baseball, and they have twisted 261 double plays.

Alzolay has taken the mound for 70 innings and has totaled 81 K's so far in his career. Alzolay (4-5 career win-loss record) sits with a FIP of 4.67 and he has gone up against 289 batters during his time in the major leagues. His ERA is 4.58 (36 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.132. He has allowed 51 hits (6.5 hits per 9 innings) and has had 29 walks.

St. Louis has tallied 54 home runs this season as well as 172 RBIs. They have recorded 57 doubles, while getting a free base 127 times and scoring 185 runs. The St. Louis Cardinals hold an on-base percentage of .307 as well as a team batting average of .234 this season. The Cardinals hold a team SLG% of .400 and they earn 4.40 runs per outing (14th in the league). They have struck out on 348 occasions (22nd in MLB) and have notched a total of 321 base hits.

The St. Louis pitching staff have yielded 168 runs for the year while holding a team ERA of 3.83 (156 earned runs surrendered). They have relinquished 28 long balls and they relinquish 4.12 runs per 9 innings (13th in MLB). The Cardinals hold a team WHIP of 1.313 and have a FIP of 4.05 as a pitching staff for the season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 1.80 (334 strikeouts against 186 walks). They rank 8th in the league as a staff in total hits relinquished with 296.

Sitting with 38 save situations, the Cardinals have accrued 21 holds and 2 blown saves. St. Louis has had bullpen pitchers step onto the mound in 16 save chances and they have walked away with 14 saves. Their relievers have taken the field 31 times in high leverage situations and on 41 occasions with runners on. St. Louis relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 42.9% out of their 77 inherited runners. They are ranked 2nd in baseball holding a save percentage of 87.5%, and they have sent 138 relievers onto the diamond on the year.

The St. Louis Cardinals have turned 32 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .985 (10th in baseball). The Cardinals have 349 assists, 22 errors and have earned a total of 1,101 putouts over the course of the season. In their 3,303 innings on the field, the Cardinals have a defensive efficiency of 71.9% (5th in MLB).

Mikolas (31-24 career mark) has a 3.82 ERA while allowing 9.0 hits per 9 innings. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.71 and he has faced 1,978 hitters in his career. He has surrendered a total of 202 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.197 and having a FIP of 4.0. In his career, Mikolas has surrendered 475 hits while accumulating 352 K's in 476 innings.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take St. Louis

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