London Series 2023: Cubs vs Cardinals Prediction & Best Bets
Written by: Nate Hornung
Last Update: Fri Jun 23, 2023, 11:48 pm ET
Read Time: 6 minutes
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The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals face off on Saturday afternoon Central Time, but they won't be doing so at Wrigley Field or Busch Stadium. These two Midwestern teams have found themselves across the pond in Europe to play an epic match in the MLB's London Series.
As always, we've got our prediction and best bets for this epic rivalry that's taking place internationally. What a great way to grow the league! Salute to you, Mr. Manfred.
Let's break down the first game of the London Series!
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London Series 2023 Preview
The Cubs and Cardinals are playing in London as part of the 2023 MLB World Tour. The London Series consists of two games in the English capital this weekend, and this is the perfect rivalry to take overseas.
These teams have plenty of history, and this year they've already played one series. The Cards were able to come away with two wins, while the Cubbies could only get one win in Wrigley Field.
Overall, these NL Central rivals have not lived up to the club's history this year. The Cubs are 36-38 and sit in 3rd in the division while the Cardinals are bringing up the rear with their 31-44 record.
However Chicago has won three straight and 8 of their last 10 as well.
Can the Cubs have some success overseas? Or do the Cardinals have other ideas across the pond?
London Series 2023 Game Information
Matchup Information
- Venue & Location: London Stadium (London, England)
- Date: Saturday, June 24th, 2023
- First Pitch: 1:10pm Eastern
- Broadcast: FOX
Pitching Matchup
- Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele (7-2, 2.71 ERA)
- St. Louis Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (3-1, 5.57 ERA)
Betting Odds
Runline
- Cubs -1.5 (+110)
- Cardinals +1.5 (-135)
Moneyline
- Cubs -135
- Cardinals +110
Total
- Over 14 (-105)
- Under 14 (-115)
London Series 2023 Prediction
Both teams have their studs on the bump with Wainwright and Steele, so I like this to stay well under the number that's currently on the board.
I've locked in Under 14.5 at -115 odds.
In my opinion, these two squads simply don't have the offensive firepower to score that many runs, especially against their opponents' ace. Steele is having any exceptional year, and already has a decent outing against St. Louis.
Steele went 6 innings at Wrigley Field against the Cardinals in early May. He gave up 3 earned runs on 7 hits, and walked three batters. He only had three strikeouts as well.
Wainwright started his season late and hasn't done much in his 8 starts. He's only gone over 3 strikeouts in a game this season twice, at home to the Royals and Tigers. Based on how their seasons are going, that isn't saying much.
The Cardinals are looking for any sort of silver lining with the way this season is going, and beating the Cubs in the London Series might just be it.
Along with the under, here's a couple player props I like.
Player Props
Justin Steele over 4.5 Strikeouts (+115)
At plus money, I'll take a stab that Steele sits down his rivals overseas. He only had 3 last outing against the Cardinals, but its tough to back St. Louis in any form at the moment.
Steele has only cleared this line in 6 of 13 starts this year, but he has either 3 or 4 Ks in all of his other outings besides one. He had 4 in 5 innings last time out against Baltimore, and 4 in 3.2 innings two starts ago against Cincinnati.
This one isn't going to be pretty, and it will definitely be a sweat, but I think that's the perfect way to watch this game and root for out under.
Ian Happ over 1.5 Total Bases (-115)
Nothing new here, just riding the hot hand.
Happ is on a two game hit streak, and has totaled 4 bases in each of those games. The switch hitter bats .252 against righties, but Wainwright allows left-handed hitters to bat nearly .400.
Not to mention these guys have history.
Happ has 34 played appearances against Wainwright in his career. He bats .344 against this guy with 4 singles, 3 doubles, and 4 homeruns.
Happ prefers to bat from the left side, and he's got a great track record against Wainwright. That's enough for me to bet on him to get two bases.
Bonus Bet: Happ Homerun (+430)
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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