Sunday Night Baseball: Cardinals Host the Cubs

Cubs Open Defense of World Title

The St. Louis Cardinals battle the World Champion Chicago Cubs at New Busch Stadium on Sunday Night Baseball. The Chicago Cubs will play a game as the defending World Series champions. After 108 years that sound is music to the ear to Cubs fans. Opening that defense against their bitter rivals makes it that much more sweet.  The game is televised nationally be ESPN with first pitch at 8:30 pm.

After ending the Curse of the Billy Goat with an amazing comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series. Chicago enters the season with the biggest possible target across its chest. The Cubs have most of the same roster that made history last year. Six of eight everyday starters return. The starting rotation is so deep that Kyle Hendricks is the fifth starter. Hendricks pitched at Cy Young level in 2016.

The Starters

The Cubs will give the ball to starter Jon Lester in this one. Left hander Lester is 0-0 this season with a 0.00 ERA.

Lester's Sunday Night Baseball opponent in this one will be Carlos Martinez. The Cardinals right hander has a 0.00 ERA to go along with a 0-0 record this season.

Oddsmakers opened the Cubs as -120-moneyline favorites versus the Cardinals, while the game's total opened at 7.

The Cardinals were a 10-4 winner as they battled the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road to end the 2016 MLB Season. Moneyline bettors who got the Cardinals at -210 were rewarded. The 14 combined runs moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Martinez hasn't always been successful against the Cubs. He has gone 3-3 with a 4.67 earned run average in 19 games, nine as a starter.

The Cubs were a 8-7 winner in their most recent outing on the road against the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 MLB World Series. That made winners of bettors who got Chicago at -132 on the moneyline. The total score (15) was good news for OVER bettors. Lester has been effective in nine career starts against the Cardinals. He has posted a 1.97 earned run average despite going only 3-3.

Sunday Night Baseball Betting Trends

Chicago Cubs
Chi Cubs is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Chi Cubs is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Chi Cubs is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Chi Cubs is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Chi Cubs's last 12 games on the road
Chi Cubs is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing the Cardinals
Chi Cubs is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Chi Cubs is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against the Cardinals
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing on the road against the Cards

St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Cards last 5 games
The Cardinals are 7-18 ATS in its last 25 games at home
The Cards are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Cards last 5 games at home
St. Louis is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The Cardinals are 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the Cards last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Cards last 6 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs

 

Next up:
Chicago at St. Louis Sunday, April 2

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