The Chicago Cubs (56-77) are on the road to face the St. Louis Cardinals (78-55) at Busch Stadium on Sunday with the home team in position for a sweep of the three-game series. The Cardinals lead the series 2-0 after winning 8-4 on Saturday, their 12th head-to-head victory in 18 games this season. Adam Wainwright got the win, giving up four runs on nine hits over five innings. Paul Goldschmidt went 2 for 4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs in the win. Tommy Edman added a solo home run and a double. Ian Happ was 2 for 3 with a double and two runs for the Cubs.
ON THE MOUND
Marcus Stroman (3-6, 3.98 ERA) is set for the start for Chicago. The right-hander allowed one run over five innings in his last start, a 5-3 road defeat against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. He yielded three hits while striking out one and walking two in the no-decision. Over three previous starts against the Cardinals this season, Stroman has allowed 17 earned runs over 15.2 innings (0-2, 9.77). He has struck out 14 and walked three. RHP Miles Mikolas (10-10, 3.35 ERA) will toe the rubber for St. Louis. He has made four appearances against the Cubs this season, all as the starter, giving up 13 runs (11 ER) over 24 innings (1-1, 4.13) with 22 strikeouts and six walks. In his last start on Monday, Mikolas took a no-decision on the road against the Reds. He threw 4.1 innings and gave up four runs on six hits, striking out three and walking one in the 13-4 win.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Chicago has averaged 3.6 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 4.1. Against righties like Mikolas this season, the Cubs have a .705 OPS. Willson Contreras is the team’s strongest performer against right-handers with a .804 OPS in 296 at-bats. St. Louis is averaging 7.0 runs per game in the last five, up from 5.0 for the season, with a stronger slugging percentage (.492 vs .429). The Cards have a .744 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .945 OPS over 369 at-bats, Goldschmidt has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 28-39 away from home in 2022, scoring 4.1 runs per game while allowing 5.1 runs. St. Louis has won four in a row at home. The Cards are 44-22 at home this season, averaging 5.0 runs per game while surrendering 3.5. In the last 10 meetings at Busch Stadium, St. Louis is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 5.0-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by seven games over the Brewers. The Cubs are third in the NL Central, 22 games behind the Cardinals.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-190)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
