MLB is the only sport in town on Monday night and that’s fine with me. There are 13 MLB games on the board and the Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals are on ESPN, so that’s where I’m looking. Both of these teams are probably sellers at the trade deadline so it’s not like we’re watching a great game but hey, it’s the Cubs and Cardinals. It’s still a game and it’s still on ESPN so that’s really all we need. We would have killed for this back in quarantine so there’s that too. It’s better than Russian table tennis, that’s for sure. Plus, I think I may have found a same game parlay angle for this beast.
Let’s take a look at the best options for this showdown but don’t forget about our full game preview for picks on the side and total. You can also follow me on Twitter for any other bets I might throw out throughout the day.
St Louis Cardinals ML (-106)
Cubs ML – First-half result (+110)
Alec Mills 3+ strikeouts (-310)
Parlay odds: +1241
© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
St Louis Cardinals ML (-106)
It’s tough to have any confidence in the Cubs after watching them lose 6-4 yesterday to the worst team ever assembled in MLB. Their bullpen came in and made the Arizona Diamondbacks look like actual MLB hitters, which is hard to do. That kind of pitching is exactly what the St Louis Cardinals’ offense needs at the moment. Although they took two out of three from the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants over the weekend, they scored only seven runs in the series. They could get off to a slow start against Alec Mills tonight but at some point the Cubs’ bullpen will have to come in. Over their last 88 innings of work, they’ve posted a 5.32 ERA, which is 24th in MLB. This looks like one where the Cardinals can finish strongly.
Cubs ML – First-half result (+110)
Here’s the thing about the Cubs, they will break your heart. They are the exact type of team that posts a win in the first five innings and then loses the game. It’s just how they’re built. They face off with Jake Woodford tonight, who is the Cardinals’ tenth different starter this season. He’s not going to blow anyone away and I bet he gives up a couple of runs. It’s not crazy to think the Cubs could be up 3-1 or something like that only to have their bullpen come in and blow it for their backers. In fact, I’m definitely willing to bet Alec Mills and the Cubs are ahead at the end of the fifth inning. Neither team has been hitting lately so I bet it’s a more than manageable lead for the Cardinals to come back from.
Alec Mills 3+ strikeouts (-310)
The books haven’t seemed to notice that the Cubs are letting Alec Mills go deeper into games. Over his last two starts he’s struck out at least five batters in each one. It’s not because he all of the sudden got good, though. It’s because he’s been allowed to throw 92+ pitches in each start. Before those two starts he had thrown over 70 pitches only once all season. It’s not like the Cardinals strike out a lot, they actually don’t, but we only need three here. Cardinals starter, Jake Woodford, has been at the plate only six times all season and struck out in three of them, so that could easily be one whiff right there. Johnny Cueto just fanned five Cards yesterday so three should be easy.
Pickswise is the home of free MLB picks and predictions. Make sure to also check out our MLB parlays and MLB prop bets tabs for more expert picks.
