Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals odds, predictions, picks and best bets

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, tied atop the NL Central with identical 56-49 records, open a three-game showdown at Busch Stadium Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. ET.

Monday: Both clubs had the day off. The Cubs avoided a three-game sweep with an 11-4 win at the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday, while the Cardinals lost 6-2 at the Houston Astros for a second straight defeat.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook; for a full-set of today's sports betting odds, access them at USA TODAY Sports.

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals: Projected Starting Pitchers

RHP Yu Darvish vs. RHP Adam Wainwright

Darvish is 3-4 with a 4.54 ERA and a 132/51 K-BB ratio in 21 starts. Last outing: Yielded four runs on six hits and a walk with six K's in six innings of a no-decision, 5-4 loss at the San Francisco Giants July 23. Misc.: Has been slightly better on the road (2-1, 4.07 ERA, 10 starts) than at home (1-3, 4.98 ERA, 11 starts). Career vs. Cardinals: 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in two 2019 starts - allowed five runs in four innings May 4 at Wrigley and yielded just one run in six innings May 31 at home.

Wainwright is 7-7 with a 4.63 ERA and a 98/41 K-BB ratio in 19 starts. Last outing: Allowed four runs on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts in five innings of a 14-8 win at the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday. Career vs. Cubs: 16-12 with a 4.06 ERA in 48 appearances (39 starts), including 1-2 with a 4.67 ERA (9 ER, 17.1 IP) this season - he yielded just two hits in eight scoreless innings of a June 2 home win.

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals: By the Numbers

Jul 27, 2019; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) hits a 2-run home run in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. (Photo Credit: Benny Sieu - USA TODAY Sports)

• The Cubs lead the season series 6-3; the Cardinals won last year's season series 10-9.
• The Cubs are 9-12 in Darvish's starts. The Cardinals are 10-9 in Wainwright's starts.
• Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo, who is batting .338 (26-for-77) in July, is a career .232 hitter (13-for-56) with one HR and 10 RBIs vs. Wainwright.

• Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt, who had a six-game homer streak snapped Sunday, is 1-for-14 with nine strikeouts in his career vs. Darvish.

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals: Key Injuries

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina (thumb) isn't expected back until the second week of August at the earliest. 3B Matt Carpenter (foot) and LF Marcell Ozuna (finger fracture) are on minor-league rehab assignments and could be activated before the end of this series.

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals: Picks and Betting Tips

Moneyline: The Cardinals ( +106) are the STRONGEST PLAY. The home team is 9-0 in this year's season series between the two longtime rivals, plus the Cubs ( -122) are the second-worst NL road team at 20-31.

Run line: The Cardinals ( +1.5, -152) are worth backing here, too. Their home dog RL record is 9-3, while the Cubs ( -1.5, +130) are the worst RL road team at 22-29, including 11-17 as a RL road favorite.

Over/under: The UNDER 9 ( -124) is the play. The Cubs are 2-9-1 O/U in their last 12, while the Cardinals are tied for last with a home O/U of 19-30-2.

Johnny's record since July 19: 21-13.

Strongest MLB plays since All-Star break: 13-7.

Follow Johnny on Twitter @JohnnyParlay11

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