St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs 6/2/19: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds
Contents
TV Section
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs, 5/29/19 2:15 PM ET Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri, TV: St. Louis (FS-M, MLBN (out-of-market-only), Chicago (WGN) Radio: St. Louis (KMOX 1120, WIJR 880 (En Espanol), CRN ), Chicago (670 The Score)
Matchup Preview
St. Louis took last night’s game 7-4 after a long rain delay put a few hour hold on the game after the 4th inning. Rizzo and Heyward each went deep for the Cubs, but it wasn’t enough to match the offensive production from St. Louis as Goldschmidt, Fowler, and Ozuna combined for seven hits and two long balls. The clubs will match up today at 2:15 PM ET at Busch Stadium for the series finale. The Cardinals have taken the first two games of the series after Chicago swept the last time these two teams matched up.
Hamels takes the hill for the Cubs. He also has four wins on the season, but only one loss. He is currently sitting at 60 punch-outs on the year. In eight games pitched at Busch Stadium in his career, he’s given up 31 hits, 14 runs, and a BA of .186. He will hope that his good fortune at Busch will roll over into today’s game, as he’s lasted just four innings in his last two starts.
The right-handed Adam Wainwright will suit up for the Cardinals. He’s 4-5 has an ERA of 4.94 on the year and has posted 51 Ks on the year. Wainwright obviously isn’t what he once was, but in his last start against Philadelphia he had his first 10 strikeout game in five years. That being said, the last time he faced the Cubs, he gave up a season high six runs.
Cubs Starting Lineup
1. K. Schwarber , (L), LF
2. K. Bryant , (R), 3B
3. A. Rizzo , (L), 1B
4. J. Baez , (R), SS
5. W. Contreras , (R), C
6. D. Descalso , (L), 2B
7. J. Heyward , (L), RF
8. A. Almora Jr. , (R), CF
9. C. Hamels , SP (L)
Cubs Analysis
Losing two in a row to a rival is never fun. The Cubs will look to get back on track in today’s game and propel that momentum into tomorrow’s makeup game against the Angels at Wrigley. Their offense wasn’t horrible yesterday, as they put up seven hits and two long-balls. The Cubs have certainly looked best, though, when Bryant is being productive at the plate, but he didn’t record a hit in last night’s game.
Pitching continues to be the killer for the Cubs. Quintana started the game and gave up two runs through four innings, but had to leave the game after the extended rain delay. Chatwood came in after that and gave up three runs in two innings, then Kyle Ryan gave up another two runs in less than a full inning pitched. It’s hard to win a game when you can’t count on your bullpen, and that’s the problem the Cubs have continued to face all season.
Despite Hamels’ poor last two performances, his history at Busch suggests he may snap the unproductive pitching steak he’s been on. Five Cardinals hitters are hitting .300 or above off of Hamels, though, so the start won’t be without its challenges. He’s 3-1 on the road this year.
Cardinals Starting Lineup
1. M. Carpenter , 3B (L)
2. P. DeJong , SS (R)
3. P. Goldschmidt , 1B (R)
4. M. Ozuna , LF (R)
5. M. Wieters , C (S)
6. J. Martinez , RF (R)
7. D. Fowler , CF (S)
8. Y. Munoz , 2B (R)
9. A. Wainwright , SP (R)
Cardinals Analysis
Currently on a three game winning streak, the Cardinals are looking the best they have on the year. Ozuna is hitting .409 in his last six games. Goldschmidt is hitting .364, finally showing his potential and that he was worth acquiring. It feels like Kris Bryant‘s comments about St. Louis being “boring” have fueled the Cardinals and their fans, as they’ve made the Cubs look far from an elite team in the last two games.
Many Cardinals have traditionally hit Hamels well. Carpenter is hitting .417 through 12 at bats. If Gyorko doesn’t start, he could potentially come in as a pinch-hitter, as he’s hitting .308 off of Hamels through 13 ABs. Ozuna has two home runs off the lefty, posting an average of .304 through 23 at bats.
Wainwright is pitching far better at home this year than on the road, posting an ERA of 3.00 at home and 6.61 on the road. That being said, he’s giving up a slightly higher BA at home (.269) vs. on the road (.267). He’s 3-1 at Busch this year and is 15-11 against the Cubs in his career through 46 starts. He got the loss in his last start against the Cubs, giving up six runs.
Cardinals vs. Cubs Betting Odds
The line is currently set at CHC -114 STL -106 after opening at CHC -110 STL -110. The slight line movement favors the Cubs, and I have to agree with that. I don’t see the Cubs suffering a sweep to their rival Cardinals. Despite his last two starts, I’m more comfortable with Hamels on the mound than Wainwright. Contreras has two home runs off Wainwright and Rizzo has one, which is to say a vast majority of Wainwright’s good numbers against the Cubs have come from earlier in his career when the Cubs aren’t the elite team they present today. The over/under is set at 9 runs after opening at 9.5. I’d go with the over after the great offensive production we saw yesterday from both teams.
Bet on Matchup
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