Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals: Odds, Analysis, MLB Betting Pick

The Chicago Cubs (60-42) will meet the St. Louis Cardinals (51-51) for the sixth time in nine days Friday when they visit them in a pick'em matchup at the sportsbooks. The Cubs won three of five meetings with the Cardinals at Wrigley Field to kick off the second half of the season starting a week ago Thursday.

MLB betting line: The Cardinals opened as -116 favorites (wager $116 to win $100); the total is at 8.5 runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).

MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 6.0-4.1, Cardinals (MLB picks on every game).

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Why the Cubs can pay on the MLB lines

Chicago also took two of three from St. Louis the last time these teams met at Busch Stadium in the middle of June, and the two-time defending National League Central champions got a boost to their starting rotation late Thursday with the reported acquisition of southpaw Cole Hamels from the Texas Rangers.

While the Cubs await the arrival of Hamels, this could be the last start for Mike Montgomery (3-3, 3.73 ERA) for a while, as he had been one of their best relievers before moving to the rotation. Montgomery has been an effective starter as well and owns a 1-2 road mark with a 2.68 ERA. He is 0-0 in three games against the Cardinals this year too with a 0.90 ERA.

Why the Cardinals can pay on the MLB lines

St. Louis always gets up for matchups with Chicago, as this rivalry remains very underrated. The Cardinals played well in their two wins at Wrigley last weekend and have lost consecutive games to the rival Cubs only once in 13 meetings overall so far this season, according to the OddsShark MLB Database.

The Cardinals started out winning four of the first five meetings back in April and May and need to turn things around soon if they want to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team in the NL. Luke Weaver (5-9, 4.79 ERA) will get the call for St. Louis in this spot, and he should be extra motivated in making his first home start in nearly a month after three consecutive outings away from home.

Smart betting pick

Weaver has been pretty awful versus Chicago this year, going 0-2 with a 9.75 ERA in three starts. He is also winless at home with an 0-4 record and 5.32 ERA in eight outings. Look for the Cubs to tee off on Weaver again here and play with some extra fire following the Hamels trade en route to their third victory in four games at St. Louis.

MLB betting trends

Chicago is 17-7 in its last 24 games.

Chicago is 4-1 in its last five games on the road.

St. Louis is 2-4 in its last six games.

All MLB odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.