Cubs vs. Cardinals: Sunday Night Baseball Same Game Parlay

The St. Louis Cardinals have seemingly abandoned their postseason aspirations. Still, they can embrace the role of spoiler to close out the regular season. That continues with tonight’s Sunday Night Baseball showdown versus the Chicago Cubs. The Cards took the series opener, and claiming a series victory would dampen the Cubs’ NL Central outlook. 

Check out what bets we’re making when the Cardinals and Cubs get down to business at Busch Stadium!

Where to Watch Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals

• Ballpark: Busch Stadium
• Location: St. Louis, MO
• Where to Watch: ESPN
• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Spread: CHC -1.5 | Total: 8
• Moneyline: CHC -120 | STL +102

Leg 1: Cardinals +102

Winners of three of their past five, the Cardinals are playing their best baseball of the season right now. St. Louis took two of three from the Dodgers and then bested the Cubs on Friday night. We’re betting that Sonny Gray continues that momentum into tonight’s intra-divisional clash.

The Cardinals’ bats have put together some respectable performances, but pitching has been the difference for St. Louis. Across their three most recent wins, Cards’ pitchers have held opponents to a combined five runs. With Gray on the bump, that dominance should continue. 

Not an overpowering arm, Gray is a premier strikeout pitcher who excels at inducing soft contact. The former Cy Young runner-up ranks in the 87th percentile in chase rate (31.9%) and 64th percentile in whiff rate (26.8%), contributing to a 26.8% strikeout percentage. Combined with his above-average hard-hit rate, average exit velocity, and ground ball percentage, Gray should have no problem quelling the Cubs’ tepid bats. 

 Over the past week, the Cubs have had a sub-optimal .661 OPS. Those hitting issues should persist with Gray on the mound, leaving a significant edge in backing the Cardinals in this spot.

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Leg 2: Shota Imanaga to Record 6+ Strikeouts +172

The Cubs can fight fire with fire early. Shota Imanaga takes the ball for the visitors and should have no problem continuing his string of elite strikeout performances versus the free-swinging Cardinals. 

Imanaga’s splitter has been haunting opposing batters recently. The Japanese national turns to his splitter 34% of the time and uses it to induce a 29.5% whiff rate. At the same time, he mixes in an occasional sweeper to keep batters on their toes, generating a superior 40% whiff rate. Armed next to his deceptive four-seamer, Imanaga gets opponents to chase outside of the zone 31.3% of the time.

Predictably, those metrics have contributed to 15 strikeouts across Imanaga’s last 11.1 innings pitched. The soft-throwing lefty struck out seven Reds in his latest start, but also sent eight Brewers back to the dugout in just 5.0 innings pitched, the start prior.

While the Cardinals are generally a disciplined team, they’ve seen a rise in strikeouts across their recent schedule. Over their last five games, St. Louis has accumulated 44 strikeouts and a 25.6% strikeout rate. That plays into Imanaga’s strength, and he should have no problem punching out six or more batters on Sunday night.

Leg 3: Masyn Winn to Record an RBI +240

Masyn Winn isn’t a renowned power bat, nor is he counted on to deliver offensively. Nevertheless, we’ve seen an increase in his proclivity at the plate, and he should be able to translate that to runs driven in versus the Cubs. 

Recording hits in nine of his last 13 games, Winn has also tallied four multi-hit efforts across that span. He’s flashed his power throughout, with six of his 14 hits going for extra bases. More importantly, Winn has driven in eight across that 13-game sample. 

Through the All-Star break, Winn was counted on as a top-of-the-order bat. However, his recent surge coincides with a bump down the lineup. Over the past few weeks, Winn has typically been batting in the five or six spot, playing into his improved productivity. 

As is the case with many young batters, Winn is a fastball hitter. He’ll have ample opportunity to look for four-seamers, as Imanaga turns to his fastball 50.0% of the time. The Cardinals’ shortstop’s reign should continue, and we’re backing him as a premier value candidate to record an RBI.

Cubs vs. Cardinals: Sunday Night Baseball Same Game Parlay Picks +1498

• Cardinals +102
• Shota Imanaga to Record 6+ Strikeouts +172
• Masyn Winn to Record an RBI +240

Parlaying all three picks in tonight’s NL Central showdown could net bettors a healthy +1498 return. We’re betting the Cardinals prevail, with Shota Imanaga recording at least six strikeouts and Masyn Winn driving in a run.

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