Thursday baseball and we will see the Chicago Cubs travel to Busch Stadium to take on the St Louis Cardinals in game 4 of their 4 game series. Free Pick to follow. First pitch is scheduled for a 1:45 PM (Eastern) start time and the game will be televised locally.
Betting Odds
Cubs +112
Cardinals -122
Over/ Under: 7.5 -110
St Louis won the first 2 of this series and had an 8 game winning streak overall heading into last night's game, but that streak was snapped with a 6-5 Chicago win. The Cardinals still have a 20-7 record overall, while the Cubs come in at 14-12 Chicago ranks 18th in the league in scoring (4.08 rpg), while on the mound they are 10th in ERA (3.66). The Cardinals come in ranked 17th in scoring (4.12 rpg), while on the mound they are 1st in ERA (2.21)
Trends of note for this game include: Chicago has gone 6-1 in Arrieta's last 7 starts with 4 days of rest, but just 8-19 in their last 27 trips to St Louis and 15-36 in their last 51 during game 4 of a series. The Cardinals are 40-15 in their last 54 home games and 38-14 in their last 52 home games vs. a right-handed starter, plus 46-19 in their last 65 home games vs. a team with a winning record, but just 1-4 in Lackey's last 5 starts with 4 days of rest.
Getting the ball today for the Cubs will be Jake Arrieta, who is 3-2 on the year with a solid 2.84 ERA. Jake is now 17-9 with a 2.81 ERA in 39 career starts as a member of the Cubs. Jake is 3-0 with an 0.74 ERA in 6 career starts vs the Cardinals and is 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 1 career start in this park.
Getting the ball for the Cardinals today will be John Lackey, who is 1-1 with a 3.69 ERA on the year. John has faced the Cubs just 3 times in his career and he is 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA in those starts. In 8 career starts overall in Busch Stadium, John is 3-1 with a 2.18 ERA.
Pick: Usually when a team losses a game after they haven't in a while that same results repeats itself. I see it happening here and will take a shot with the Cubs. Jake Arrieta has shut down the Cards in the past as he is 3-0 with an 0.74 ERA vs them in 6 career starts. Jake does have a career 13-14 record in day starts, but his Day ERA is almost a fill point lower than his night ERA. John Lackey has gotten off to a solid start, but the Cubs offense is improving and they should get to him here. The Cards are very good at home vs Righties, but I see them struggling in this one vs a Cubs team that really wants to gain the split in this series.
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