• National League Central rivals, the Cardinals and Cubs hook up in a matinee on Friday, July 21st
• The Cardinals are red hot since coming back from the all-star break, having won six in a row
• See the Cardinals vs Cubs odds below, as we as probable starters and our betting predictions

Battling mediocrity and irrelevance, two of the senior circuits most historic clubs continue their four game series and kick off the MLB schedule on Friday, July 21st at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals (44-53, 22-27 away) got the upper hand on Thursday with a big win, chasing Cubs (45-51, 24-26 home) ace Marcus Stroman in the fourth inning.

First pitch for Friday afternoon’s affair is set for 2:20 pm ET in a game that will be on Apple TV+ for your viewing pleasure. Both sides need to be dynamite in the last couple months to have any shot at the postseason. The Cards division odds currently sit at +2000 after opening the campaign as favorites.

Below, we break down the second matchup of this four game series while also dishing out all the Cardinals vs Cubs odds below. After analyzing things, we’ll provide you with our best bet and pick.

Cardinals vs Cubs Odds

Eating alive Nationals pitching for 25 runs in two games, the Cubs sticks were quieted by Steven Matz and company in the opener against the Cards. Nevertheless, the Cubbies are -118 home favorites to rebound with a victory.

Oddsmakers are playing this one carefully though, as the Cards have an implied win probability of 50% at +100, with the Cubs owning a 54.13% probability of victory with -120 odds. It should be a beautiful day for baseball with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees an sunny skies.

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Odds as of July 20th at FanDuel. Claim a FanDuel promo code to bet on Friday’s Cardinals vs Cubs game at Wrigley Field. 

St. Louis vs Chicago (NL) Probable Pitchers

It would be a stretch to say it’s been a banner season for the Cardinals Jack Flaherty, but it is relieving for the organization to see him healthy and making every scheduled start for the first time in years.

The scoreless first inning extended a couple of impressive streaks for #STLCards RHP Jack Flaherty.

He now has thrown 13.2 consecutive scoreless innings.

Flaherty also hasn’t allowed a HR in his last 56.1 innings. Only Jose Quintana (61.2 IP) has a longer active HR-less streak.

— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) July 16, 2023

His numbers are solid, but far from spectacular, posting a 7-5 record with a 4.29 ERA as he gets set for his 19th start. Just two strikeouts shy of 100 for the season, the 27-year old is poised to hit century mark for the first time since 2019.

Remember, this is a guy who finished sixth in the National League in punchouts as a 23-year old. It seemed at that time, he’d be a perennial contender in the Cy Young odds, but injuries threw a wrench into those aspirations. He’s been terrific in his last three outings, allowing just three runs combined, earning victories in each.

Flaherty vs Steele Stats

Can you believe that Cubs southpaw, Justin Steele is actually months older than Flaherty? It seems like his Cards counterpart has been around forever, while Steele is just starting to make a name for himself in the majors.

Ranking third in the National League in ERA, he’s earned nine wins, combining with Stroman to deliver 19 victories to the Cubs before the 100th game of the season. Unfortunately for the team from the north side of the Windy City, only one other pitcher on the staff has earned more than three wins.

This will be his third start against St. Louis this season, meaning he’ll have seen them more than any of the other MLB lineups. In his prior appearances against the Cards, Steele allowed four runs on 12 hits in 12 innings of work, earning wins both times out.

Cardinals vs Cubs Betting Trends

Each squad has some serious trends that bettors can focus on in the Cardinals vs Cubs odds heading into this one. Prior to Thursday’s loss to St. Louis, the Cubs had hit the over in eight straight games. In fact, Chicago has only gone under the run total three times this whole month. In many games, they’ve gone way over the betting line.

Cubs Recent Results

Meanwhile, on the other side, the rumors surrounding manager Oliver Marmol getting fired are finally being put to bed as the Cardinals are starting to play like the team that had prognosticators considering them a good bet in the World Series odds at the start of the year.

Winners in eight of their last nine, it’s likely too little too late for the Cardinals this year, but at least they’re making it interesting and giving baseball’s most passionate fan base something to cheer for after a disastrous start.

Cardinals vs Cubs Predictions

While Steele has grown up before our eyes this season and is having the much better campaign than Flaherty, he got lit up for six runs against the Red Sox in his last appearance, including allowing two long balls. He’d only allowed four homers in his first 16 starts of the year.

Rafael Devers stays hot out of the All-Star break 🔥

(via @MLB)
pic.twitter.com/zf50keEMvg

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 16, 2023

In the head-to-head battles, St. Louis has now won eight of the last 10 between the two rivals. The Cards have had some big wins lately and have a .568 winning percentage during day games this season as opposed to a .432 winning percentage for the Cubs.

Our prediction is that the third time is a charm this season for the Cardinals when they face Steele in the MLB odds. He got the better of them the first two times around, but this time it’s the Cards turn.

Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline (+100)

The post Cardinals vs Cubs Picks, Odds & Probable Pitchers (July 21) appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.