Cubs And Cardinals Should Score At Will

Cardinals vs. Cubs, 8:05 ET

There used to be a time when a matchup between these two squads excited me. Kind of like the Yankees and Red Sox, the Cubs and Cardinals have had a tradition of battling with each other over the years. I suppose it isn't quite the level of New York and Boston, but nonetheless, it is a rivalry. Now the matchup means a lot less with both teams struggling, but betting can always get me excited.

The Cardinals are only 10 games under .500 and the sad part of that is that it feels like it is an accomplishment right now. They have been on quite a roll since the All-Star Break and have won five in a row (five of six overall). Three of the games were against the Nationals, a team they should be beating, but they also took three straight from the Marlins a team that has playoff potential. It has to feel good coming into a battle with their NL Central rivals. If they are finally going to put a run for the division, they need to shore up the pitching issues. Having Stephen Matz on the hill tonight won't help those concerns. The lefty has an 0-7 record for the Cardinals and a 4.86 ERA overall. This will be his 13th start of the season as he has been used both in relief and in a starting role. After losing nine straight games he appeared in the Cardinals have won the past two games. Cubs hitters have struggled somewhat against Matz with just nine hits in 42 at-bats.

Stroman has been great this season, but the Cardinals are one team he has struggled against. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

For whatever reason the Cubs are the hardest team for me to figure out. I don't know if it is my fandom or my loyalty to the team, but they are playing better than their record shows. I know that for a fact as multiple sites suggest they should've won more games already than they have. I am looking for them to make one last push before the trade deadline, but the reality is that they might pack it in and call it a wrap on the year. One guy that will turn a few heads and likely return a nice haul is tonight's starter, Marcus Stroman. This season Stroman is 10-6 with a 2.88 ERA. He's had a few rough starts, and that includes a couple against the Cardinals, but overall he has had a great season. At home he has been very good with a 2.69 ERA, but he has allowed at least five runs in two of his past three home starts - including one against the Cardinals. Paul Goldschmidt has his number as he is 9-for-24 with three home runs against Stroman.

I think this game looks like an over. Sure, Stroman might not give up a run. However, if history is any indication, he is likely to give up a few runs to the Cardinals. Matz is not a good pitcher, but the Cardinals are playing too well right now to just autofade them. I do think the Cubs win and getting them with Stroman at -120 is pretty solid. I'll take the over 8.5 though and maybe sprinkle the Cubs moneyline.

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