Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (59-58) vs Chicago Cubs (66-49)
Time: 6:15pm CT Saturday
How to watch: FOX
Probable pitchers: Andre Pallante (6-8, 4.57 ERA) vs Colin Rea (8-5, 4.23 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Cubs -115, Cardinals -106
Total: 9 (over -106, under -115)
Cards Go For Series Win
The St. Louis Cardinals look for their third straight win tonight when they host the Chicago Cubs in the second of a three-game set.
The Redbirds put on a terrific performance last night in a 5-0 victory over Chicago with Yadier Molina looking on as a guest coach, and the future Hall of Famer will be in the dugout once again this evening.
Pallante, Rea Mirror Images Of Each Other
Two very similar pitchers will toe the slab tonight in Andre Pallante and Colin Rea. Both hurlers are 4’s ERA pitchers that don’t strike out a lot of batters and have identical WHIP’s of 1.32.
Pallante was right on brand in his previous start against the Cubs this season - a lot of baserunners, not a lot of K’s, but limited damage. He went 5 innings and gave up 2 runs on 7 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts in a 3-0 Chicago victory on June 26th.
Rea performed well in his lone start against the Redbirds this year, pitching 6.2 innings of 1-run ball with just 2 hits and 2 walks allowed in an 11-3 Cubs rout of the Cards on the 4th of July.
Both Offenses Awful Vs. RHP Lately
While both pitchers are very average and prone to blowup outings, both offenses are on the weak side of their splits tonight (over the last month that is).
Since July 8th, these have been the two worst offenses in all of baseball in OPS against right-handed pitching. The Cubs are 29th at .671, and the Cardinals are dead last at .656.
My Lean
This is a really tough game to call, as you could easily make a case for either team to win and either choice on the total.
My initial thought heading into this weekend was the over for Saturday, so I’ll go with that as my lean. It’s going to be hot and humid at Busch Stadium with winds expected to be blowing out to left field. And as much as these teams have struggled against right-handers over the last month, both Rea and Pallante are ticking time bombs that can get blown up at any point.
Lean: Over 9 at -106 on DraftKings
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