A once fierce rivalry is once again starting to build as the Chicago Cubs ( 13-10, $109 ) sit second, behind the St. Louis Cardinals (18-6, $1,079 ) in the NL Central standings here in early May.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Due to weather, these teams have only met twice this season, splitting those games with each team recording a shutout against the other.
Adam Wainwright was the starter in the Cards’ shutout of the Cubs back on Opening Night. While this would have been his spot in the rotation he is out for the year, opening the door for the Cubs and their offense to take advantage.
Offensively, Chicago is just starting to come into its own. They still rank in the bottom third in baseball in runs scored, but just five runs—in one fewer game—behind St. Louis.
With a good deal of young talents and a sprinkling of veterans such as Miguel Montero, Chris Coghlan and Dexter Fowler, the Cubbies have a very balanced and flexible lineup. With Addison Russell and Kris Bryant now in the fold the lineup is now that much deeper.
For St. Louis, the team has yet to get much from Yadier Molina, Jon Jay and Jason Heyward, each of which have an OPS of .626 or lower, but the rest of the lineup is functioning at a high level with Matt Carpenter leading the way with a 1.087 OPS.
PITCHING MATCHUP
With Wainwright out of the picture, the Cardinals will call up yet another young hurler from Triple-A to fill his spot. The first time around it was Tim Cooney; this time, it is Tyler Lyons.
Lyons has seen big league action each of the last two years, posting a combined 4.62 ERA in 89 2/3 innings pitched.
While the 27 year old southpaw has yet to really find his way in The Show, he’s put together a strong start to the year in Triple-A, going 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA in 21 2/3 innings in the hitter friendly PCL. He has, however, allowed a lot of hits during his four games, with 11.6 per nine innings, leading to a 1.569 WHIP.
Lyon’s counterpart with the Cubs has just a few more major league innings under his belt as the 25-year old Kyle Hendricks has 101 big league innings in his career with a 3.03 ERA.
In 2015, Hendricks hasn’t really gotten on track, yet. His last outing, however, was okay with five innings of two run ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Overall, he owns a 5.23 ERA, but a respectable 1.210 WHIP.
QUOTE TO NOTE
The Cardinals closed out the weekend with their sixth straight win and third straight walk-off in extra innings.
Following their Sunday win, manager Mike Matheny said:
“They’re all doing the little things they need to do to get better.”
That is the way of the Cards who despite everything seem to have just enough to be there in the end.
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
Making his way through the system, the big story on Kris Bryant has been his power. He has yet to hit a big league home run after putting up 43 in the minors last year and three in just seven games before his call up this year. Despite having yet to crank one out, he is still hitting in the heart of the Cubs lineup and 15 games in still has a .788 OPS with five doubles.
PROP TALK
Hendricks has faced the Cards three times in his career with an 0-1 record, but 3.06 ERA and 1.075 WHIP. Despite the success, Matt Holliday has had his number in limited at bats. Look to Holliday if you are looking for someone to find offensive success on Tuesday. He is 4 for 9 against Hendricks with a pair of home runs.
The hot hitting Matt Carpenter also sees the ball well against Hendricks, going 5 for 8 life time against him.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Cardinals are red hot right now, having won six straight coming into this series, with the last three coming as walk-offs. I would not be surprised to see the same thing happen on Tuesday as the starting pitching is close and the respective offenses have produced similar numbers. Still, given Holliday’s and Carpenter’s success against Hendricks, I give St. Louis the edge.
The bullpen is also in the Cards’ favor as their pen has a 1.51 ERA in 77 2/3 innings, ranking first in the NL and second in all of baseball to only Kansas City.
St. Louis 6, Chicago 5
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, 2015, at 8:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
