Cardinals-Cubs prediction: Picks, odds on Saturday, July 22nd

The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs in the second game of a four-game series on Saturday, July 22. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field. Miles Mikolas (6-5, 4.14 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals, and Michael Fulmer (1-5, 4.43 ERA) will open a bullpen game for the Cubs.

St. Louis is the -120 moneyline favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Chicago coming in at +100. The total is set at 9.5.

Cardinals-Cubs picks: Saturday, July 22nd

Injury report

Cardinals

Day to day: INF/OF Brendan Donovan (shoulder)

Out: SP Adam Wainwright (shoulder), RP Drew VerHagen (hip), CP Ryan Helsley (forearm), OF/INF Tommy Edman (wrist)

Cubs

Out: SS Dansby Swanson (heel), INF Nick Madrigal (hamstring)

Starting pitchers

Miles Mikolas vs. Michael Fulmer

Mikolas has looked solid in July. After a shaky start to the month, he kept the White Sox and Nationals runless over 10 combined innings, and conceded three runs to the Marlins in six innings. However, his strikeout numbers remain very low, as he often records just two or three per start. He allowed one run in 4.1 innings against the Cubs earlier this season.

Fulmer has not started any games this season and pitched part of an inning yesterday, so we can assume this will be a bullpen game for the North Siders. Fulmer has allowed two runs and recorded seven strikeouts over seven innings pitched this month. The Cubs bullpen has an ERA of 4.16.

Over/Under pick

The totals of the first two games of the series were 9 and 7. The Cardinals’ bats should continue to heat up against a shaky Cubs bullpen today, but with a total this high, I don’t know that the Cubs’ offense can contribute enough to push it over the top.

Pick: Under 9.5

Moneyline pick

The Cardinals took the first game of the series, and the Cubs grabbed the second. I like St. Louis to win the third on the road here. The Cubs have not been at their best since the All-Star break, while the Cardinals got the second half of the season off to a good start. Mikolas does decently well on the road and has looked successful against the Cubs before.