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Today’s MLB Picks, Odds, Probable Pitchers – Cardinals vs Cubs (June 13th)

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in MLB Baseball

Updated Jun 12, 2021 · 10:58 PM PDT

Nolan Arenado running basepath looking up pointing
St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals Tuesday, April 13, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
  • The Chicago Cubs are -150 home favorites over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night at Wrigley Field
  • Zach Davies (3-3, 4.45) is scheduled to start for the Cubs against Carlos Martinez (3-6, 6.21)
  • A look at the Cardinals-Cubs matchup along with wagering advice can be found below

The streaking Chicago Cubs will look to complete a three-game home sweep of the struggling St. Louis Cardinals at 7:08 p.m. ET Sunday at Wrigley Field.

Zach Davies (3-3, 4.45) is expected to start for the Cubs against Carlos Martinez (3-6, 6.21).

The Cubs (37-27) have won four games in a row, including beating the Cardinals 7-2 on Saturday night, and are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League Central lead. Chicago is 27-13 since April 29 and favored Sunday.

The Cardinals (32-32) have lost 10 of their last 12 games to fall to .500 for the first time since May 29.

Cardinals vs Cubs Odds

Team Moneyline Runline Total
St. Louis Cardinals +125 +1.5 (-167) Over 9.5 (-110)
Chicago Cubs –>-150<— -1.5 (-140) Under 9.5 (-110)

Odds as of June 13th.

Martinez Hits Rough Patch

How bad are things going for Martinez?

He gave up five runs in four innings in a loss to Cleveland on Tuesday at home. That was actually a big improvement over his previous start when he was rocked for 10 runs in 0.2 innings by the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Martinez had a season-high seven strikeouts against Cleveland while allowing seven hits and a walk. He became the first Cardinals pitcher to give up at least five runs in consecutive starts since Adam Wainwright in 2013.

In his last three starts, Martinez has compiled a 15.19 ERA. He has gone four consecutive outings without a win.

Martinez has five quality starts in 11 games this season. Those mark all the starts in which he has pitched at least six innings.

Martinez has not beaten the Cubs since 2017 and his career record is 4-5 against them with a 4.60 ERA in 37 games, including 17 starts. He faced the Cubs on May 21 in St. Louis and had a no-decision as he yielded two runs in six innings.

At Wrigley Field, Martinez is 1-3 with a 5.28 ERA in six starts and 11 relief appearances.

Cubs Career Stats vs Martinez

Player AB H HR RBI K AVG
Joc Pederson 8 2 1 3 2 .250
Kris Bryant 36 7 1 1 16 .194
Javier Baez 29 4 0 1 7 .138
Anthony Rizzo 47 12 3 9 6 .255
Willson Contreras 21 7 1 5 8 .333
Patrick Wisdom 0 0 0 0 0
Jason Heyward 34 10 0 4 4 .294
Sergio Alcantara 0 0 0 0 0

The Cubs have homered in 12 straight games, hitting a total of 26. At they are going, Chicago’s hitters are going to make one young fan happy.

They have also scored at least seven runs three times during their winning streak and a total of 25 runs in those four games.

Zeros for Davies

Davies is coming off the best of his 13 starts this season. On Tuesday, he shut out the Padres on one hit over six innings to get the win in San Diego while striking out four and walking two.

In eight starts since May 1, Davies is 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA. That comes after he was 1-2 with a 9.47 ERA in his first five outings this season. Davies has just two wins in his last 10 starts but also only one loss and the Cubs are 7-3 in those games.

Davies has lasted six innings just twice this season. Both were quality starts.

Against the Cardinals in his career, Davies has a 2-3 mark and a 4.19 ERA in 11 starts. He pitched five scoreless innings May 23 in St. Louis but did not factor in the decision.

Davies has gone 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA in six starts at Wrigley Field in 2021.

Cardinals Career Stats vs Davies

Player AB H HR RBI K AVG
Tommy Edman 8 2 0 0 3 .250
Dylan Carlson 0 0 0 0 0
Paul Goldschmidt 14 4 0 2 1 .286
Nolan Arenado 19 6 1 2 0 .316
Tyler O’Neill 0 0 0 0 0
Yadier Molina 23 8 0 2 2 .348
Matt Carpenter 26 13 3 4 5 .500
Paul DeJong 9 2 0 0 4 .222

Left fielder Tyler O’Neill has been the one consistent member of the Cardinals in recent weeks. He has reached base in 18 straight games, hitting .358 (24 for 67) with eight home runs.

Cubs Love The Longball

Joc Pederson homered for the third straight game, Sergio Alcántara and Ian Happ also went deep, and the Cubs used a five-run second inning to beat the Cardinals on Saturday night.

Kyle Hendricks (8-4) threw six solid innings for his sixth consecutive victory, giving up two runs.

John Gant (4-4) lasted 1.2 innings, allowing five runs, five walks and a hit with just one strikeout.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 17th save in 19 chances.

The Cubs have won four of five games against the Cardinals and hold a slight 27-26 edge over their archrivals since the start of the 2018 season.

All signs point to the Cubs winning again as they face the scuffling Martinez and the sliding Cardinals.

The Pick: Cubs (-150)

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