As if one of the biggest and nastiest rivalries in all of Major League Baseball needed some fuel, Kris Bryant got the Cardinals and the entire city of St. Louis riled up with his “boring” comment. And the Chicago Cubs paid the price for those remarks last week when an inspired Cards team swept the Cubbies out of first place in the NL Central.
Now that we have the remarks and a few games behind us, can we get to playing baseball? The division is the tightest in baseball with just six games separating the five teams and the Cubs holding a slim margin over the Cardinals. The teams conclude their weekend series on Sunday Night Baseball with Adam Wainwright set to face Kyle Hendricks.
This MLB game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs will be held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, at 7:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 9, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
The Cards jumped back into the thick of the division race thanks to their three-game sweep of the Cubs last weekend. It was a much-needed jolt for a club that had won just four of 12 games. A win over Philadelphia got things started, followed by the sweep and two-game split with the Reds has St. Louis just 2.5 games off the lead heading into the weekend.
Home field has proven to be huge in this matchup this year. When the teams met for the first time last month at Wrigley, it was the Cubs getting the three-game sweep. And the north siders have done damage in the friendly confines against their hated rival since the start of the 2017 campaign. Over that span the Cubs are 17-5.
Probable Pitchers
Fresh off one of his better starts in years, Adam Wainwright ( 5-5, 4.34 ERA ) looks to continue his upward trajectory. That outing was against the same Cubs when he tossed 8.0 shutout innings allowing just two hits. Seven walks didn’t hurt him on the scoreboard, but along with eight strikeouts, Wainwright threw 126 pitches.
Just a month ago Wainwright was clobbered by the Cubs allowing five hits and six earned in 5.0 innings losing 13-5. He’s pitched at Wrigley more than any other visiting ballpark and has solid numbers. In 26 games and 21 starts, Wainwright is 11-4 with a 4.04 ERA over 131.1 innings.
Emerging as the ace of the staff, Kyle Hendricks ( 6-4, 3.16 ERA ) has been brilliant since his gem against the Cards on May 3. Hendricks tossed a four-hit shutout that day on just 81 pitches in the 4-0 win. In his last seven starts Hendricks is 5-0 with a 2.09 ERA, 47 strikeouts and just six walks over 51.2 innings.
Not known as a strikeout pitcher, Hendricks is changing that narrative. He induced 21 swings and misses in his last start fanning 10 Colorado batters in 7.0 innings of a 6-3 victory. It was the second game with double digit whiffs this season for Hendricks, who is 3-1 with a sparkling 1.71 ERA over 42 innings at Wrigley Field.
Live Betting
Keep an eye on the starting pitchers because both Wainwright and Hendricks have been really good, or just the opposite. You almost expect the Cubs hurler to have a poor game since he’s been so good over his last seven starts. And what’s aided his success is impeccable control. Hendricks has issued just 14 walks in 77.0 innings while striking out 71. By not giving free bases he makes opponents work at the dish, and that typically favors the pitcher. Both are workhorses and have gone deep in games, and if that’s the case on Sunday, that means we’re not seeing a lot of runs being scored.
Free MLB ATS Picks
Hendricks has been on a roll of late and he’s picked the team up when they needed a lift. He tossed a gem against the Cards earlier this season and he’s 6-2 in 15 career starts. Wainwright shut the Cubs out for eight innings last weekend, but they had chances. And if Wano walks a bunch of guys again he’s going to pay for it. This should be a tight contest with a pair of stud hurlers, but I like the Cubs with Hendricks being inside Wrigley Field.
MLB Pick: Cubs 4, Cardinals 2
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