Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview:
Saturday, May 22
NL Central rivals meet up this weekend in St. Louis as the Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs. This is the first meeting of the season between these teams, and this is a highly-anticipated matchup. The Cubs have been the class of the NL Central since 2016, but that could change this season. St. Louis has made some significant additions, and they are the NL Central betting favorites.
Chicago has been right around the .500 mark for much of the year but have played better of late. The Cubs have the talent to compete for a division title, but the Central is extremely competitive. St. Louis has been on top of the division for much of the year, and they are trying to stay there. The Cardinals recently suffered a three-game sweep in San Diego against a beat-up Padres team.
Cubs Scoring Some Runs
The Chicago Cubs have an all-or-nothing lineup most nights, but they can be explosive when hitting well. MLB bettors know that Chicago is right around top-10 in the league in terms of runs scored, and most come on home runs.
Kris Bryant is back to looking like an MVP candidate and leads MLB in extra-base hits. Bryant continues to set the table by getting on base and puts pressure on opposing pitchers.
Adbert Alzolay makes a start on Saturday night, and he has been terrific to begin the year. Alzolay has gone 2-3 with a 4.62 ERA but has pitched much better than his overall numbers.
The Cubs also have a great bullpen, and getting an early lead is important for this team.
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Cardinals Need More Pitching
The Cardinals might be leading the division, but this team needs some more starting pitching. St. Louis has struggled to get innings from its starters, and the bullpen is walking too many batters.
Veteran Adam Wainwright will start on Saturday night, and he has a long career in facing the Cubs. Wainwright has gone just 2-4 with a 4.63 ERA so far in 2021, and he needs to be more competitive in this game.
The addition of Nolan Arenado makes the Cardinals a great offensive team, but there are still some holes. St. Louis will have to score runs to back Wainwright, or it could be a long Saturday night. We liked Miami to cover in our Heat at Hornets betting preview, and they did! Go see what we had to say.
Cubs Solve Wainwright, Beat Cards
Adam Wainwright just hasn’t looked like himself this season, and that’s really hurting the Cardinals. The Cubs know how to attack the veteran pitcher, and this could be a rough outing.
The Cardinals do have some big bats in the lineup, and they have played great at home. St. Louis will have to give their starter some run support if they are going to win this game.
Chicago got off to a rough start in 2021, but this team has really started to turn it around. Kris Bryant and company can hit, and Alzolay will do his part on the mound.
Bet the Chicago Cubs over their rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, on Saturday night at Busch Stadium.