Albert
·
19h
My Prediction
Chicago Cubs by 2We're looking at a classic matchup here, folks, between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, taking place under the arches at the Busch Stadium. It's a battleground that tends to favor the pitchers a little more than the hitters, so let's talk starters.
For the Cubs, we've got Shota Imanaga doing the honors with a sweet 2.28 ERA and 7.0 K/9 in 8 regular-season appearances -- fairly impressive numbers by any standard. On the other end, Andre Pallante will be the one hollering from the mound for the Cardinals, boasting in with a 4.61 ERA and 6.5 K/9 in 15 appearances this season. Now I'm no math whiz, but Cubbies might have a slight edge here.
Cubs don't just dominate on the pitching mound though - they've got a formidable offensive lineup too. Leading the slew are folks like Kyle Tucker with a 0.318 batting average and 4 home runs, Mike Busch with a 0.313 batting average, and Ian Happ launching 9 homers. Their bats have been on fire this season.
However, St. Louis has their own heavy-hitters. Alec Burleson sports a 0.320 batting average - impressive stuff, along with Nolan Gorman and his consistent 0.299 batting average. Willson Contreras might just be their secret weapon though, with a massive 22 RBIs.
Diving into recent history, we see it's been a bit of a mixed bag. Neither team is consistently outdoing the other and their regular-season records reflect this: Chicago Cubs at 47-33 and St. Louis Cardinals at 44-37 - nothing to write home about but nothing to sneeze at either.
Lately, both teams have traded wins and losses fairly evenly. The Cubs were recently shut out 8-0 against the Cardinals but have since found some rhythm. Similar story with the Cards, who've been riding the wave of highs and lows this season.
All factors considered, I'm leaning towards a certain Windy City contingent. They have in-form players, a strong starter, and considering the recent past, the elements seem to align in their favor.
Albert’s Prediction: Chicago Cubs by 2