Cubs vs. Cardinals odds, line, score prediction, start time: 2024 MLB picks, Aug. 2 bets by proven model

The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs meet in a key National League Central Division matchup on Friday afternoon. The Cubs earned a come-from-behind 5-4 win in Thursday's series opener. The Cardinals (56-53), second in the division, just 5.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, are 6-4 against Chicago this season. The Cubs (53-58), fifth in the NL Central, are six games out of the Wild Card.

First pitch from Wrigley Field in Chicago is set for 2:20 p.m. ET. St. Louis is a -111 favorite on the money line (risk $111 to win $100) in the latest Cardinals vs. Cubs odds from SportsLine consensus, while the total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 7.5. Before making any Cubs vs. Cardinals picks, be sure to see the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer simulation model .

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It entered Week 19 of the 2024 MLB season 55-48 on all-top rated MLB picks this season. Dating back to last season, it is on a 24-11 roll on top-rated run-line picks (+877). Anybody following has seen strong returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Cubs vs. Cardinals and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks . Now, here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Cardinals vs. Cubs:

• Cardinals vs. Cubs money line: St. Louis -111, Chicago -109
• Cardinals vs. Cubs over/under: 7.5 runs
• Cardinals vs. Cubs run line: St. Louis -1.5 (+150)
• STL: The Cardinals have hit the game total Under in 17 of their last 28 away games (+6.00 units)
• CHC: The Cubs have hit the team total Under in 25 of their last 36 games at home (+13.00 units)
• Cardinals vs. Cubs picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why you should back the Cardinals

St. Louis is expected to send right-hander Erick Fedde (7-4, 3.11 ERA) to the mound. Fedde, acquired at the trade deadline from the Chicago White Sox , has won two of his last three decisions. In his last outing for the White Sox on Saturday, he took the loss in a 6-3 defeat to the Seattle Mariners . He pitched four innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs and two walks, while striking out four. In a 7-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs on June 5, he received a no-decision, pitching five innings and allowing six hits, three earned runs, while striking out seven.

Shortstop Masyn Winn is among the Cardinals' hot hitters of late. He has hits in seven of eight games, including four straight. In a 10-8 loss to the Washington Nationals on July 26, he was 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI. He homered and was 2-for-5 with two RBI in Thursday's loss to the Cubs. For the season, he has played in 101 games, and is hitting .281 with 18 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 39 RBI. See which team to pick here .

Why you should back the Cubs

Right-hander Javier Assad (5-3, 3.23 ERA) will start for Chicago. In 19 starts, he has allowed 86 hits, 34 earned runs and 42 walks with 86 strikeouts in 94.2 innings of work. He won his last outing, a 7-3 win at Kansas City on Sunday. In that game, he pitched six innings, allowing three earned runs, five hits and one walk, while striking out five. He faced St. Louis on May 26, suffering the loss in a 4-3 Cardinals victory. Assad went five innings, allowing five hits, four earned runs and three walks, while striking out eight.

Center fielder Cody Bellinger has been red hot since returning from the injured list (finger). He also has hits in eight of 10 games, including a five-game hitting streak. In a 13-4 win at Cincinnati on Wednesday, he was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. He was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Reds . In 82 games this season, he is batting .280 with 16 doubles, one triple, 11 homers, 42 RBI and 44 runs scored. See which team to pick here .

How to make Cubs vs. Cardinals picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the run total, projecting nine combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the MLB model's picks at SportsLine .

So who wins Cardinals vs. Cubs, and which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that's on a 24-11 roll on top-rated MLB run-line picks , and find out.