Cubs vs Cardinals Odds, Lines, and Spread – Aug 18
- The Chicago Cubs are -182 moneyline favorites over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday (Aug. 18, 8:15 pm EST)
- Yu Darvish (3-1, 1.88 ERA) will start for Chicago, while St. Louis will give the ball to Daniel Ponce de Leon (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
- Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game
Maybe a forced COVID-19 hiatus wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to the St. Louis Cardinals after all. Mike Shildt’s team was 3-1 entering play Monday night since returning to action, and were fresh off a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader.
The NL Central rivals will square off again Tuesday at 8:15 pm EST in St. Louis, with Cy Young candidate Yu Darvish taking the mound for the Cubs.
Cubs vs Cardinals Odds
| Team | Moneyline at DraftKings | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | -182 | -1.5 (+116) | O 8.0 (+163) |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +155 | +1.5 (-137) | U 8.0 (-195) |
Odds taken Aug. 17th
Not surprisingly, Chicago opened up a sizeable favorite in the Cubs vs Cardinals odds, as Darvish will be looking for his fourth consecutive win this season.
Yu Da Man
After a rough opening start, Darvish has been virtually unhittable, allowing just two runs total in his last three outings. Last time out, he whiffed 11 Milwaukee Brewers in 7 innings of work, while surrendering just a single run.
Yu Darvish, Filthy 89mph Splitter. 😷 pic.twitter.com/cUAP618rtx
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 14, 2020
His strikeout rate is up slightly from his career average and his walk rate is on pace to be the lowest of his career. Opposing batters are making hard contact on just 31.6% of their at-bats, and his average fastball velocity is the highest it’s ever been (95.1 mph).
Yu Darvish, 8th and 9th Ks. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/m6XjV0yckn
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 14, 2020
That spells trouble for St. Louis, because even though they’ve been winning, it’s mostly been in spite of the offense. The Cards are averaging just three runs per game in their last three contests and only one of their top-five hitters is batting above .200.
Cardinals Career Stats vs Darvish
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolten Wong | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .400 |
| Tommy Edman | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .571 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 19 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 9 | .263 |
| Tyler O’Neill | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Matt Carpenter | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .375 |
| Dylan Carlson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Brad Miller | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .071 |
| Dexter Fowler | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .000 |
| Matt Wieters | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
A few of the St. Louis bats have had success versus Darvish in the past, but the way he’s throwing right now, it’s hard to imagine any team hitting him hard.
How Long Will Ponce de Leon Last?
The Cards will counter with Daniel Ponce de Leon, who isn’t exactly known for his stamina in games. The 28-year-old has worked past the 6th inning in just two of his 20 career starts, and lasted just 3.2 innings in his lone start this season.
Eddie Rosario's first home run of 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/yJfNjBwk7l
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) July 30, 2020
That night he allowed three runs to Minnesota en route to a 3-0 defeat. He’s fighting to remain St. Louis’ fifth starter, but control is a big problem. He has a 11.9% career walk rate, but that number has ballooned to 16.7% in 2020. Walks at that frequency will be problematic against Chicago, who leads all NL Central division teams in runs scored. The Cubs rank seventh in MLB in batting with runners in scoring position and they’ll likely have plenty of opportunities to improve upon that stat on Tuesday.
Cubs Career Stats vs Ponce de Leon
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Bryant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Anthony Rizzo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Javier Baez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Wilson Contreras | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Ian Happ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| David Bote | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Jason Heyward | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Nico Hoerner | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Jason Kipnis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Ponce de Leon has pitched only 1 inning in his career against the Cubs, so most of Chicago’s hitters will be getting their first look at him. Normally that’s a disadvantage, but it didn’t stop Minnesota from roughing him up in his previous outing.
Cubs Will Control This Game
The level at which Darvish is pitching right now makes it extremely difficult to bet against the Cubs. When he’s on, which he has been for the last three weeks, he’s one of the best in the game and the Cardinals offense simply isn’t that threatening.
Yu Darvish, 96mph Paint. 🎨
I like to call this pitch "Sunset Aglow." pic.twitter.com/IMeByoOwa3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 14, 2020
Also working in Chicago’s favor is its matchup with Ponce de Leon. The right-hander has shown no signs that he can work deep into games, which means the Cubs will likely get an extended crack at St. Louis’ 20th ranked bullpen.
Pick: Chicago Cubs moneyline (-182)
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
