MLB Handicapping: Cardinals vs Cubs

Courtesy of OddsShark.com: The St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs will meet on the field at Wrigley Field on Friday in a battle of division rivals. The Cardinals will give the ball to ace starter Chris Carpenter in this one. Righthander Carpenter is 5-1 this season with a 3.09 ERA. The Cubs will counter Carpenter with Randy Wells. Righthander Wells has a 3.99 ERA to go along with a 3-2 record this season. Odds aren't yet posted for this game, so check back later for the opening line and total. Albert Pujols homered and drove in three runs on Thursday, and the Cardinals cruised to an 8-3 victory over the Padres. The Cardinals won the game as +105 underdogs, while the 11 runs sailed OVER the posted over/under (7) set by sportsbooks. Ryan Ludwick chipped in with a pair of RBIs for the Cardinals, and P.J. Walters tossed five scoreless innings for the win. Tyler Colvin drove in the winning run with a pinch-hit double, as the Cubs defeated the Dodgers 1-0 on Thursday. The Cubs won that game as -125 favorites, while the teams played UNDER the posted over/under (7) set by sportsbooks. Sean Marshall got the win for the Cubs, and Carlos Marmol closed out the ninth for his 11th save. Team records: St. Louis: 27-21 SU Chicago: 23-25 SU St. Louis most recently: When playing on Friday are 7-3 Before playing Chi Cubs are 6-4 After playing San Diego are 7-3 After a win are 3-7 Chicago most recently: When playing on Friday are 4-6 Before playing St. Louis are 2-8 After playing LA Dodgers are 4-6 After a win are 5-5 A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 12 of St. Louis's last 16 games on the road The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs St. Louis is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing Chi Cubs The total has gone UNDER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games when playing Chi Cubs The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games Chi Cubs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chi Cubs's last 11 games at home Next up: Chi Cubs home to St. Louis, Saturday, May 29 Stevie Vincent is the former Executive Editor of the scorephone Tailgate Parties, which were the reports every gambler flocked to in the pre-Internet days. A pro gambler since 1993, his picks went public in 2007. He is the founder of groundbreaking forensic sports handicapping.