Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (58-58) vs Chicago Cubs (66-48)
Time: 7:15pm CT Friday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Michael McGreevy (3-2, 5.08 ERA) vs Matthew Boyd (11-4, 2.34 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Cubs -156, Cardinals +128
Total: 8.5 (over -102, under -119)
Yadi Returns As Cards Host Cubs
The St. Louis Cardinals will host the Chicago Cubs in the first of a three-game set tonight with a familiar face in the dugout at Busch Stadium.
Cardinals legend Yadier Molina will be in uniform as a guest coach both tonight and tomorrow. Will it give the Redbirds a spark? Let’s dive into the matchup.
Cardinals In A Groove Vs. Lefties
The Redbirds will be up against left-hander Matthew Boyd this evening. Boyd has been terrific in his first season with the Cubs, posting an impressive 11-4 record with a 2.34 ERA. He has allowed 2 earned runs or less in 11 of his last 12 outings, including shutting out the Cardinals for 11 innings in two starts against them on June 25th and July 6th.
However, the Cards have turned a corner against left-handers and have hit much better against them during the last month. Over the last 30 days, the Cardinals rank 3rd in MLB with a .833 OPS against lefties.
Cubs Struggling Vs. Righties
Michael McGreevy will be on the mound tonight hoping for a much better showing than the last time he faced the Cubs, as they tagged him for 5 runs in 4.2 innings back on June 24th.
McGreevy has recently shown a good ability to adjust when facing an opponent for a second time. After getting crushed by the Padres for 7 runs in 4.2 innings on July 27th, he competed much better against that same club this past Saturday, earning the win in San Diego while pitching 6 innings of 4-run ball, including 3 shutout innings to finish his start.
McGreevy will be facing a Cubs team that has struggled against right-handers over the last month, as their .698 OPS against righties over the last 30 days ranks 26th in MLB.
My Pick
Once I saw the recent stats for the Cards against lefties and the Cubs against righties, I decided in my mind that I was going to lean Cardinals on the moneyline tonight.
But after seeing the news break earlier today about Molina returning to the dugout tonight and tomorrow, I have decided to upgrade it to an official pick.
This isn’t quite a new manager bounce situation, but I am fully confident that the Cardinals will have an extra pep in their step tonight with Molina looking on. He brings a winning energy that is infectious, and I think for one night, the Redbirds will feed off that and beat their rival in the series opener.
Pick: Cardinals on the moneyline at +128 on DraftKings (bet to +120)
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer