The St. Louis Cardinals (76-55), one of the top lineups in the league, are set to host the Chicago Cubs (56-75) at Busch Stadium on Friday for the first of a three-game series. The Cubs are kicking off the final series of their nine-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the Blue Jays, taking the finale 7-5 on Wednesday at Rogers Centre. Zach McKinstry was 2 for 4 with a triple and one RBI. The Cardinals are returning home for a seven-game homestand. They won two of three against the Reds in their last series, taking the finale 5-3 on Wednesday at Great American Ball Park. Lars Nootbaar went 1 for 1 with a home run and two RBIs, walking twice.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Cardinals have won 10 of 16 in the season series between the NL Central rivals, including an 8-3 victory in their most recent meeting on August 25 at Wrigley Field. Starter Dakota Hudson got the win, giving up two runs on five hits over seven innings.
ON THE MOUND
Adrian Sampson (1-4, 3.97 ERA) is slated to start for Chicago. The righty allowed one run over 3.1 innings in his last start, a 9-7 home defeat against the Brewers on Sunday. He yielded five hits while striking out two and walking one in the no-decision. Over two previous starts against the Cardinals this season, Sampson has allowed seven earned runs over 8.1 innings (0-1, 7.56). He has struck out five and walked two.For St. Louis, lefty Jordan Montgomery (7-3, 3.28 ERA) gets the ball. He has made two appearances against the Cubs this season, both as the starter, holding opposing hitters scoreless over 16 innings (2-0, 0.00) with 12 strikeouts and no walks. In his last start on Saturday, Montgomery took a no-decision at home against the Braves. He threw five innings and gave up five runs on eight hits, striking out four and walking one in the 6-5 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The Chicago offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .241/.312/.390. Willson Contreras leads the team in OPS at .822. The catcher is slashing .246/.351/.471 with 21 home runs, 54 RBIs, and 63 runs over 107 games. Against left-handed pitchers like Montgomery this season, the Cubs have a .698 OPS. Contreras also is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with ann .873 OPS in 99 at-bats. St. Louis is slashing .259/.330/.429 for the season and averaging 4.9 runs per game, fourth best in MLB. Paul Goldschmidt leads the team with a 1.037 OPS. The first baseman has 33 home runs, 105 RBIs, and 94 runs scored with a slash line of .333/.417/.620. St. Louis is averaging 6.2 runs per game in the last five with a stronger slugging percentage (.469). The Cards have a .745 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .956 OPS over 364 at-bats, Goldschmidt also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 28-37 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.2 runs per game while allowing 5.0 runs. St. Louis has gone 42-22 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game while surrendering 3.5. In the last 10 games at Busch Stadium between the teams, St. Louis is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.1-3.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by six games over the Brewers. The Cubs are third in the NL Central, 20 games behind the Cardinals.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-250)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
