The St. Louis Cardinals will pay a visit to Wrigley Field this week for a quick two-game series against the NL Central Division rival Chicago Cubs starting with Game 1 this Tuesday night. This clash is set to get underway at 8:05 p.m. (ET), and it will be available on MLB Extra Innings.

The Cardinals’ 7-3 run in their last 10 games, including a six-game winning streak heading into this series, has them leading the division by 2.5 games with an overall record of 20-11. The total has gone “over” in three of their last four games.

Chicago was swept at home by Cincinnati this past weekend to extend its current losing streak to four games heading into Monday’s interleague matchup against Texas. It now trails St. Louis by nine full games in the division with a last-place record of 11-20. The total has gone over in four of its last six games.

Cardinals at Cubs Betting Storylines

St. Louis could be one of the most complete teams in the majors this season with a pitching staff that leads the National League with a team ERA of 3.09 complementing an offensive effort that is producing an average of 4.84 runs a game, which happens to be ranked second in the NL. The big bats so far belong to Allen Craig and Matt Holliday, who have combined to knock in 46 runs. Carlos Beltran has belted a team-high eight home runs, and Yadier Molina is hitting .328 in 116 at-bats.

The Cardinals will send Lance Lynn to the mound on Tuesday night. The right-hander is a perfect 5-0 through his first six starts with an ERA of 2.75. He extended his personal winning streak to 10 games dating back to last season with a seven-inning gem against Cincinnati last Wednesday. Lynn allowed just one earned run on five hits to notch the win. Against Chicago, he is 4-0 with a 2.73 ERA.

The Cubs’ woes this season have been fueled by an anemic lineup that is ranked 11th in the NL in hitting with a team batting average of .238. This has led to just 113 total runs in 31 games, which is also ranked near the bottom of the league. The one bright spot has been the bat of Anthony Rizzo. In 118 at-bats, he has accumulated 21 RBI and eight home runs to lead the team in both categories. Unfortunately, the production drops off pretty quickly from there.

Look for Travis Wood to get the start for Chicago in this one. This will be the left-hander’s seventh start of the year after going 2-2 with a 2.50 ERA through his first six outings. He is coming off one of his best efforts of the year despite getting tagged with the loss. Last Thursday against San Diego, Wood took a perfect game into the fifth inning before things unraveled from there. He is 2-2 against the Cardinals with a 5.35 ERA. 

Cardinals at Cubs MLB Betting Odds and Trends

St. Louis has been opened as a -133 road favorite for Tuesday’s game with the Cubs listed as +123 underdogs at home. The “over/under” for this matchup is set at 7.5.

The Cardinals are 5-1 in their last six road games against a left-handed starter and 7-0 in their last seven road games overall. The total has gone over in eight of Lynn’s last 11 starts in the first game of a new series.

The Cubs are 6-16 in Wood’s last 22 starts and 2-10 in his last 12 starts at home. The total has gone over in nine of his last 12 starts in the first game of a new series.

Head-to-head in this divisional matchup, St. Louis is a perfect 4-0 in Lynn’s last four starts and 7-3 in the last 10 meetings overall. The total has stayed under in eight of the last 12 games played in Chicago. This will be the first meeting between the two this season.

Cardinals at Cubs Picks and Betting Predictions

St. Louis brings a head of steam into this matchup with the ability to put runs on the board behind a starting pitcher who is in top form. While it is always a risk to bet against a home underdog in a divisional rivalry, stick with the Cardinals to extend their current winning streak to seven games with a win on Tuesday night.

The handicappers at Doc’s Sports are offering $60 worth of member’s baseball picks absolutely free – no obligation, no sales people – Sign up here for free baseball picks

Read more articles by Dave Schwab