Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 7/27/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Thursday, July 27, 2023

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Busch Stadium is where the St. Louis Cardinals (45-57) will try to beat the Chicago Cubs (49-51) on Thursday. The pitchers taking the mound will be Justin Steele and Miles Mikolas.

Chicago has a slugging % of .408 and have been called out on strikes 913 times, while taking a walk on 359 occasions. They have accounted for 470 runs batted in and 858 hits for the year, while their batting average is .253. The Cubs have recorded 151 two-baggers as a unit and have hit 113 balls out of the park. They have a total of 486 runs scored and hold an OBP of .330. As a team, the Chicago Cubs are recording 4.9 runs per game, which ranks them 10th in baseball.

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The Cubs hold a team ERA of 4.11 this year (13th in baseball), and they have struck out 824 hitters. Cubs pitchers have conceded 106 long balls and 441 runs (12th in MLB). Their pitching staff has walked 313 opposing players and their FIP is 4.17 as a team this year. Chicago has surrendered 814 base hits (8.3 per 9 innings) and 404 earned runs. They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.63 and their pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.27.

The Cubs have sent 305 relievers to the mound for the season. The relief pitchers have inherited 132 runners on the season and 29.5% of those players crossed home plate. They have accumulated 16 saves this year and have not converted 9 of their 25 save opportunities. The Cubs relievers have a save percentage of 64.0% and stepped onto the hill in 71 save situations. The bullpen have notched 45 holds on the season (23rd in baseball). Cubs relief pitchers have come into the game with opponents on base 80 times in addition to having 75 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Chicago Cubs have earned a total of 2,655 putouts this year, in addition to 915 assists and 53 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .985 which is 18th in MLB, and have a total of 90 double plays. The Cubs have turned 69.7% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 7,965 innings on the field, which has them sitting 10th in the majors.

Steele has pitched in 279 innings and has racked up 281 strikeouts so far in his career. Steele (18-14 record in his career) sits with a FIP of 3.59 and he has faced 1,183 batters in the major leagues. His earned run average is 3.31 (103 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.262. He has surrendered 255 base hits (8.2 hits per nine innings) with 98 free passes.

The St. Louis Cardinals have accounted for a team OBP of .332 in addition to a batting average of .256 on the season. They have struck out on 856 occasions (19th in baseball) and have 895 hits. St. Louis has tallied 137 home runs on the season to go along with 466 RBIs. The Cardinals have a team slugging % of .428 and they are recording 4.74 runs per contest (11th in MLB). They have recorded 171 doubles, while walking 357 times as well as earning 483 runs.

The Cardinals have a team WHIP of 1.455 and have a FIP of 4.16 as a squad this year. They come in at 29th in MLB as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 962. The St. Louis pitching staff have given up 505 runs for the season while having an ERA of 4.55 (454 earned runs conceded). Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.20 (819 strikeouts against 345 free passes). They have surrendered 97 homers and they allow 5.06 runs per 9 innings (26th in baseball).

Sitting with 101 save situations, the Cardinals have recorded 53 holds and 24 blown saves. St. Louis has called on relievers to enter the contest in 48 save opportunities and they have come away with 24 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 122 times in high leverage situations and on 116 occasions with runners on. St. Louis bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 30.6% out of their 193 inherited base runners. They rank 28th in MLB holding a save percentage of 50.0%, and they have dispatched 310 relief pitchers to the mound on the campaign.

The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten 88 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .989 (5th in baseball). The Cardinals have accrued 962 assists, 42 errors and have notched a total of 2,695 putouts this year. In 8,085 innings on the diamond, the Cardinals are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 66.4% (30th in professional baseball).

During his career, Mikolas has allowed 829 hits while totaling 622 strikeouts in 849 innings. Mikolas (51-45 mark in his career) is the owner of a 3.79 ERA while giving up 8.8 hits per nine innings. He has allowed a total of 358 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.176 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.0. His K/BB ratio is 3.66 and he has faced 3,512 hitters in his MLB career.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago

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