3 games separate Chicago and St. Louis in the NL Central, and we’ll see if that margin tightens or widens when the teams finally meet in the May 25th Cubs at Cardinals betting matchup. These NL Central rivals were supposed to get their first series of 2024 underway on Friday, but Mother Nature stepped in the way of that as the game was postponed.
The rain dance worked for the Cardinals, who now a) don’t have to face stellar Cubs rookie Shota Imanaga and also get to skip their problematic #5 spot in the order. Oddsmakers are still calling this a close matchup though, with the Cardinals listed at -112 and Chicago -104. 65% of the betting public is somewhat surprisingly on St. Louis in what seems like a 50/50 game.
Why the Cubs Have Value on Saturday
Chicago would have had a great chance to go up 1-0 on the season series if Friday’s game could’ve gotten played. Imanaga is 5-0 with a 0.84 ERA on the season while projected Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore has a 5.40 ERA and has only started 3 games this year to go along with 13 relief appearances.
Instead of pushing Imanaga back a day, Chicago is going to extend him until the next series meaning Jameson Taillon (3-2, 2.20 ERA) gets the nod on Saturday. Taillon is coming off his worst outing of the year, but the fact that he allowed just 3 ER over 4.2 IP in a loss to Pittsburgh shows how effective he has been. Taillon had given up 5 total ER in his five previous starts before last Sunday’s game.
One thing about division rivalries and facing a pitcher like Miles Mikolas – who is in his sixth year in St. Louis – is that the Cubs batters have seen him a lot. Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, and Yan Gomes have all hit better than .290 in their careers against Mikolas so the base paths should have some action for Chicago on Saturday night.
Why the Cardinals Have Value on Saturday
St. Louis looked destined for defeat if Friday’s game would’ve gotten played, but instead they now have a shortened 2-game series over the weekend to try and make up ground on the Cubs for 2nd place in the division.
The only thing the Redbirds need to worry about is the rain delay killing their momentum, because they just ripped through the AL East in sweeping Baltimore and taking two out of three against the Red Sox – all at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals are still just 11-12 at home on the season, but if you shake up the Magic 8-Ball all signs are pointing to that record turning around.
Mikolas (3-5, 5.77 ERA) is coming off a positive performance after allowing just 2 hits over 5.0 IP in a win over Boston last Saturday, but he’s also had some issues this month giving up 3 ER to Milwaukee and Detroit and a 6-spot to the Mets all while lasting 6.0 IP or less. He does have a 2.58 ERA in 19 appearances against the Cubs though.
Free May 25th Cubs at Cardinals Betting Pick
St. Louis might be making a run. They’ve won 8 of their last 10 and got a gift from the Rain Gods by not having to face Imanaga on Friday night. Ride that momentum and take the home team in a fairly evenly priced game for some Saturday entertainment.
Free Pick: Cardinals -112
