Cardinals vs Cubs Odds and Picks (June 3)

• The Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals are both given odds of -110 in their National League afternoon game on Friday, June 3
• Entering play Thursday, Chicago has won its last two meetings with St Louis
• Analysis of the Cardinals vs Cubs odds and picks follows in the story below

Recently, the Chicago Cubs (21-29, 9-17 home) are doing something they hadn’t achieved in quite some time. They are putting beatings on the St Louis Cardinals (29-21, 13-10 away).

As they began a five-game weekend series at home on Thursday, the Cubbies came into the game riding a two-game winning streak over the Cards. Prior to that, St Louis had won seven in a row over Chicago overall and five straight at Wrigley Field.

Oddsmakers, though, don’t appear quite prepared to go all in on the Cubs against the Cardinals. The MLB betting line for this game is setting each team with -110 odds. The Cubs are just 12-14 against the run line at home this season.

Cardinals vs Cubs Odds

Odds as of June 2nd at Caesars Sportsbook. See available Caesars promo codes.

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First pitch at Wrigley Field is set for 2:20 pm ET on Friday, June 3. In the forecast, there’s clear skies, 12 mph wind and a temperature of 81 degrees.

With both teams at a moneyline of -110, bettors are given an implied probability of victory of 52.38% no matter which way they opt to play this game in the MLB picks. Bet $10 on either team and if they win, your payout will be $19.10.

In MLB betting trends, the public also appears unimpressed by Chicago’s latest taste of success. In both the moneyline and spread splits, public betting is backing the Cardinals at 53%. The public is also leaning toward the under to the tune of 53%.

Turning to the NL Division odds, the Cardinals are the +260 second betting option in the NL Central. The Cubs are the third betting choice but at a distant betting line of +6000. In the World Series odds, St Louis is 13th at a betting line of +3000.

St Louis vs Chicago Probable Pitchers

Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas is in the midst of a three-game skid during which with each trip to the mound, his performance has grown steadily worse. He’s 0-2 with a 5.47 ERA over his past three starts. Mikolas has also served up three home runs over his past 12.1 innings after allowing only two long balls through his first 48.1 innings pitched this season.

Miles Mikolas is putting on a masterpiece today. pic.twitter.com/tXLB4oguDp

— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2022

One thing Mikolas has going for him is his road performance. He’s 2-1 with a 1.54 ERA in four starts away from Busch Stadium. He hasn’t allowed a single homer on the road. June has proven to be his worst month of the season, though. Mikolas is 3-6 during the sixth month of the year over his MLB career.

Against the Cubs, Mikolas is 3-2 with a 1.62 ERA over 11 career appearances, including nine starts. At Wrigley Field he’s 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six career appearances.

Mikolas vs Stroman

Cubs workhorse right-hander Marcus Stromas started an NL-leading 33 games last season.  This season, Stroman ranks among the bottom 7% of MLB pitchers in hard hit percentage (48.8).

Unlike Mikolas, Stroman is trending upward. He was 0-3 in four April starts but was 2-1 in four May starts. Stroman has allowed more than two earned runs in just two of his eight 2022 starts. He pitched seven shutout innings in his last start on May 29 but didn’t figure in the decision during a 5-4 loss to Chicago’s other MLB team, the White Sox.

Marcus Stroman Last 4 Starts:

23 IP, 2.35 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 22 SO/3 BB

Stro has quietly turned himself into one of the best starters in baseball.

Since 2019: 72 GS, 3.27 ERA, 129 ERA+

That 3.27 ERA since 2019 is 11th best in all of baseball while his GB% and HR/9 are top 10.

— VOT6 (@ViewsOnThe6) May 25, 2022

Stroman has started three career games against the Cardinals and is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA. He shows a .538 winning percentage (28-24) in day games. In three starts at Wrigley Field, he’s 0-2 with a 6.28 ERA.

Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers

St Louis slugger Paul Goldschmidt is hitting every pitcher hard of late and Stroman is no exception. He’s 4-for-8 (.500) against him with a solo homer. Corey Dickerson is 16-for-37 (.432) with two homers and six RBI. Albert Pujols is 5-for-14 (.357) with three RBI.

Paul Goldschmidt extends his hitting streak to 24 with an RBI double. He’s an animal #STLCards

— STL Sports Central (@stlsportscntrl) June 3, 2022

Chicago’s Ian Happ is 5-for-15 (.333) with two RBI when facing Mikolas. Willson Contreras is 4-for-13 (.308) with one RBI.

Cardinals vs Cubs Prediction

Stroman’s underlying numbers always seem to be more impressive than his actual won-loss record. He’s been dreadful at Wrigley during his career.

Cubs vs Cardinals over the past 116 seasons*:

1,116-1,116-16 (.500 W-L)

*includes postseason

— Jim Passon (@PassonJim) June 2, 2022

Meanwhile, Mikolas clearly enjoys pitching on the road, at Wrigley and against the Cubs.

Pick: St Louis Cardinals ML (-110)