St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 5/8/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Monday, May 8, 2023

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (+120) Chicago (-140)

Wrigley Field is the site where the Chicago Cubs (17-17) will take on the St. Louis Cardinals (11-24) on Monday. The moneyline on this contest has the Cardinals at +120 while the Cubs are at -140. The total comes in at 9. The pitchers expected to start will be Miles Mikolas and Marcus Stroman.

The Cardinals have recorded 61 two-baggers as a team and have knocked 38 baseballs out of the park. St. Louis owns a slugging percentage of .411 and have been called out on strikes 285 times, while drawing a walk on 116 occasions. As a squad, the St. Louis Cardinals are notching 4.2 runs per contest, which puts them at 20th in baseball. They have 140 RBI's in addition to 303 hits for the season, while their average at the plate is sitting at .259. They have accounted for 144 runs and have an on-base percentage of .329.

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The Cardinals have compiled a team earned run average of 4.70 for the year (21st in baseball), and the staff has rung up 307 batters. Cardinals pitchers have surrendered 39 home runs and also 169 runs in total (24th in MLB). They have walked 119 hitters and their FIP is 4.32 as a team this year. St. Louis has allowed 321 base hits (9.7 per 9 innings) and also 156 earned runs. They have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.58 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.48.

The Cardinals relief pitchers have recorded a save percentage of 33.3% and has entered the game in 26 save situations. The relievers have inherited 73 base runners on the season and 32.9% of them crossed home plate. Cardinals relief pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on 46 times in addition to having 35 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cardinals have sent 109 relievers to the hill on the year. The relievers have earned 14 holds for the year (25th in baseball). They have recorded 4 saves so far this year and have blown 8 of their 12 save chances.

The St. Louis Cardinals have accumulated 896 putouts so far this season, in addition to 319 assists and 16 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .987 which is 16th in baseball, and they have turned 34 double plays. The Cardinals have turned 65.1% of balls in play into outs in their 2,688 innings on the field, which has them ranked 29th in pro baseball.

Mikolas (46-41 career mark) has a FIP of 4.01 and he has faced 3,144 hitters in the major leagues. He has conceded 741 base hits (8.8 hits per nine innings) and has 154 free passes. His ERA is 3.80 (321 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.177. Mikolas has thrown 760 innings and has tallied 570 punch outs during his MLB career.

The Chicago Cubs have earned a team on-base percentage of .341 and a batting average of .270 so far this season. They have been called out on strikes on 284 occasions (19th in baseball) and have earned 306 base hits. Chicago is sitting with 41 home runs on the season and 158 runs batted in. The Cubs hold a slugging percentage of .432 and they earn 4.97 runs per outing (9th in baseball). They have notched 51 doubles, while getting a free base 114 times as well as scoring 164 runs.

The Cubs are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.161 in addition to having a FIP of 3.76 as a unit for the year. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.70 (282 strikeouts against 97 walks). They are currently ranked 2nd in the league as a staff in total hits surrendered with 240. They have allowed 27 dingers and they allow 3.63 runs per 9 innings (2nd in baseball). The Chicago pitching staff have allowed 117 runs for the year while having an ERA of 3.44 (111 earned runs allowed).

Sitting with 28 save situations, the Cubs have earned 19 holds in addition to 4 blown saves. Chicago has had bullpen pitchers enter the game in 9 save chances and they have recorded 5 saves. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the mound 26 times in high leverage situations and also on 19 occasions with base runners. Chicago relievers have an inherited score percentage of 20.7% of 29 inherited runners. They rank 25th in MLB holding a save rate of 55.6%, and they have dispatched 103 bullpen pitchers to the hill for the year.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 32 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .987 (15th in baseball). The Cubs have racked up 311 assists, 15 errors and have earned 872 putouts this season. Out of their 2,616 innings on the diamond, the Cubs have accumulated a efficiency on defense of 71.1% (6th in the majors).

During his pro baseball career, Stroman has given up 1,166 base knocks while tallying 1,010 K's in 1,208 innings pitched. Stroman (69-69 career record) has earned a 3.57 ERA while surrendering 8.7 hits per 9 innings. He has allowed 479 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.246 and having a FIP of 3.6. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.97 and he has gone up against 5,011 hitters in his MLB career.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take St. Louis (+120)

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