PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* Afternoon ASSAULT (Cards/Cubs) >> 20-11 Overall L10 Days! 3-1 Thurs!
(MLB) St. Louis vs. Chi Cubs,
Money Line: -113.00 Chi Cubs (Home)
Result: Win
Money Line: -113.00 Chi Cubs (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The Cubs saw their lead in the NL Central dwindle to two games after Milwaukee swept them at Wrigley Field last weekend but the Cubbie bats rebounded in a three-game sweep of the Mets in Wrigley from Tuesday through Thursday. After producing only five runs on 19 hits against the Brewers, the Cubs exploded for 39 runs on 41 hits while winning each of the three games by at least five runs! The sweep of the Mets enabled the defending world champions to maintain their three-game advantage over Milwaukee and St. Louis in the Central heading into the weekend. The Cardinals improved to 10-3 this month following a 5-2 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday and are actually closer in the wild card race, trailing Colorado by 2 1/2 games for the second NL wild-card spot. Coming off a 5-1 homestand, St. Louis' pivotal 10-game road trip begins this afternoon at Wrigley. The Cards have lost eight of the 12 meetings this season with the Cubs, including five of six in Chicago. These NL Central rivals will face each other seven times over their final 16 contests.
The pitching matchup: Carlos Martinez (11-10 & 3.33 ERA) takes the mound for St. Louis and John Lackey (11-11 & 4.65 ERA) for Chicago. Martinez has not been quite as good in 2017 as in the previous two seasons but he's been exceptional in September, posting a 1.20 ERA while striking out 18 and holding opponents to a .135 batting average. Martinez last faced the Cubs on July 21, when he did not factor in the decision after permitting three runs two earned) in six innings. Martinez is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Cubs this year (Cards are 3-0!) He is 1-1 with a 3.19 ERA in four career starts at Wrigley Field,and 4-3 with a 4.08 ERA in 22 career games (12 starts / 8-4) vs. Chicago. Like Martinez, Lacket's about a .500 pitcher on the season (see above). However, Chicago is 9-2 in Lackey's last 11 starts and he's 6-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break. Lackey also has been sharp in two starts this month, giving up two runs and seven hits while striking out 14 in as many innings. Lackey is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in two starts this season versus the Cardinals, yielding two runs over seven innings against them in a no-decision on June 2. He is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in two starts this season versus the Cardinals and 3-2 with a 2.56 ER in eight career starts against the Cards (teams are 4-4).
The pick: The Cardinals and Brewers (both 77-69) are tied for second, just three games behind the 80-66 Cubs in the division race. "We've got to take care of ourselves," Cubs left-hander Jon Lester said. "That's the big thing, you can't worry about other people. We're fine, we've just got to play good baseball, and that's what we've been doing." The Cubs are 37-21 since the All-Star break and they have spent the past 51 days in first place in the division. The Cubs have scored a major league-best 347 runs since the All-Star break and rank second in the NL for the season with 746 runs (5.11 per). Chicago has handled St. Louis this season (8-4), including going 5-1 at Wrigley. Make Chicago a 10* play. Cubs win! Cubs win!
The pitching matchup: Carlos Martinez (11-10 & 3.33 ERA) takes the mound for St. Louis and John Lackey (11-11 & 4.65 ERA) for Chicago. Martinez has not been quite as good in 2017 as in the previous two seasons but he's been exceptional in September, posting a 1.20 ERA while striking out 18 and holding opponents to a .135 batting average. Martinez last faced the Cubs on July 21, when he did not factor in the decision after permitting three runs two earned) in six innings. Martinez is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Cubs this year (Cards are 3-0!) He is 1-1 with a 3.19 ERA in four career starts at Wrigley Field,and 4-3 with a 4.08 ERA in 22 career games (12 starts / 8-4) vs. Chicago. Like Martinez, Lacket's about a .500 pitcher on the season (see above). However, Chicago is 9-2 in Lackey's last 11 starts and he's 6-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break. Lackey also has been sharp in two starts this month, giving up two runs and seven hits while striking out 14 in as many innings. Lackey is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in two starts this season versus the Cardinals, yielding two runs over seven innings against them in a no-decision on June 2. He is 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in two starts this season versus the Cardinals and 3-2 with a 2.56 ER in eight career starts against the Cards (teams are 4-4).
The pick: The Cardinals and Brewers (both 77-69) are tied for second, just three games behind the 80-66 Cubs in the division race. "We've got to take care of ourselves," Cubs left-hander Jon Lester said. "That's the big thing, you can't worry about other people. We're fine, we've just got to play good baseball, and that's what we've been doing." The Cubs are 37-21 since the All-Star break and they have spent the past 51 days in first place in the division. The Cubs have scored a major league-best 347 runs since the All-Star break and rank second in the NL for the season with 746 runs (5.11 per). Chicago has handled St. Louis this season (8-4), including going 5-1 at Wrigley. Make Chicago a 10* play. Cubs win! Cubs win!
