The Chicago Cubs needed a wild ninth-inning rally, scoring six runs to shockingly end the St. Louis Cardinals' three-game winning streak and split the first two of a four-game NL Central series.
The third leg of the matchup will see both the Cardinals and the Cubs turn to some trusted veterans, with the home Cards the MLB betting favorite.
Will St. Louis get right back on track with a win tonight? Find out by reading our Cubs vs. Cardinals MLB picks and predictions for Wednesday, July 21, with first pitch scheduled for 8L15 p.m. ET.
Cubs vs Cardinals game info
• Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
• Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2021
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: Marquee Sports Network, Bally Sports Midwest
Cubs vs Cardinals odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLB odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
MLB sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonThis moneyline opened with Chicago a super slim -108 favorite at TwinSpires Sportsbook and is at St. Louis -127 as of 5:20 p.m. ET. The Cardinals are landing 70 percent of bets and 77 percent of cash. The total opened at 8 (Over -110) and is now 8 (Over -118) on two-way action, with 55 percent of bets on the Under and 58 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameCubs vs Cardinals betting preview
Starting pitchers
Kyle Hendricks (12-4, 3.65 ERA): Hendricks got off to a slow start this season but he has bounced back and shown that he is still one of the most reliable pitchers in the game. The righty comes into this start having allowed two or fewer earned runs in five of his last six outings, and two of those starts saw him shut out his opponent. In three starts against the Cardinals this season, Hendricks is 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA.
Adam Wainwright (7-6, 3.71 ERA): In Wainwright’s last start against the Cubs, the righty struck out seven batters across eight shutout innings, although the Cardinals lost 2-1 in extra innings. That was back on May 23, and the veteran will be hoping that his team can provide him with some run support this time around. Wainwright has been up and down this year, but he’s 4-4 with a 2.84 ERA at home this season.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Cubs: Ian Happ OF (Questionable), Matt Duffy 3B (Out), David Bote 2B (Out).
Cardinals: Jordan Hicks RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cardinals are 6-2 in their last eight games following a loss. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Cardinals.
Moneyline pick
The Cubs are coming off an exciting win over the Cardinals last night, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a sign of things to come. In fact, expect St. Louis to show up and finish the job in getting the victory tonight.
While Hendricks allowed only two earned runs in a 10-5 win over the Cardinals on July 9, the righty did allow seven hits in that game. St. Louis also put 25 balls in play in that one, showing that these hitters are making better contact against him and could be due for something of a breakthrough against Hendricks tonight.
That means we're looking at Nolan Arenado, Matt Carpenter, Paul Goldschmidt and Yadier Molina. That’s the meat of the Cardinals lineup, so it’s not groundbreaking to say that, but they have all had some success against the righty in their careers. Goldschmidt has been especially productive against him, with a .316 batting average, eight doubles, and two RBIs. Also, Arenado has three homers off Hendricks.
As for Wainwright, he was unbelievable in his last time out against this Cubs team. There’s no reason to believe that he won’t be again, especially when factoring in that this game is at home.
PREDICTION: Cardinals (-130)
Over/Under pick
The Cardinals have the lineup to frustrate Hendricks, with some of their best hitters being more than comfortable at the plate against him.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that St. Louis is going to put up 10 runs or anything, but this team is capable of plating four or five. That should be enough for the Cardinals to come away with a win with the way Wainwright pitches at home.
Also, these teams combined to score 13 runs last night... but six of them came in a six-run ninth that featured three Chicago hits (it had just six for the game), three walks, and an error. A crash back down to earth is certainly possible, especially considering how much the Cubs had four total runs in the 17 prior innings this series.
Look for this game to go Under the total, even if the Cardinals do find some success offensively.
PREDICTION: Under 8 (-110)
Cubs vs Cardinals betting card
- Cardinals ML (-130)
- Under 8 (-110)
Picks made on 7/21/2021 at 11:05 a.m. ET
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