The Cubs will be looking to complete the two-game London Series sweep over their long-standing rivals, the Cardinals on Sunday morning (10 a.m. ET, FOX). Chicago defeated St. Louis 9-1 Saturday at West Ham's London Stadium.
Many fans expected to see a lot of runs scored in this series after what happened in the 2019 London Series, where the Yankees and Red Sox scored a combined 50 runs. However, the Cubs got the upper hand on the Cardinals as they recorded 14 hits and were 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Ian Happ led the way with two home runs and chased Cardinals' starter Adam Wainwright out of the game in the fourth inning. Wainwright struggled on Saturday afternoon as he allowed 11 hits, seven earned runs, and one walk in three innings pitched.
As for the Cubbies, Justin Steele was tremendous as he only allowed five hits, one earned run, a walk, and struck out a season-high eight batters in six innings. Chicago will hope NL Cy Young sleeper Marcus Stroman can build off Steele's performance and silence the Cardinals' bats.
Can the Cardinals rebound on Sunday morning after getting smacked by the Cubs on Saturday afternoon, or will the Stro show shine bright in London? For bettors looking to get involved in the action, we'll offer our best bet for Game 2 of the 2023 London Series.
Cubs vs. Cardinals London Series odds for Sunday
All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
- Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+100) | Cardinals +1.5 (-120)
- Total: OVER 12.5 (+100) | UNDER 12.5 (-120)
- Moneyline: Cubs -135 | Cardinals +115
The Cubs are -135 favorites for the second-straight game, and it makes sense with Stroman taking the ball in the series finale. The 32-year-old righty has been one of the best starting pitchers in MLB this season, sporting a 9-4 record, 2.28 ERA (leads National League), and 83 strikeouts in 98.2 innings. Stroman leads the majors in quality wins (14) and has been dialed in lately on the mound, going 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his past seven starts.
In his first start against St. Louis on May 8, the veteran starter allowed four hits, two earned runs, a walk, and struck out six batters in six innings. Despite a quality start from Stroman, the Cubbies would lose 3-1. Chicago will hope that their bats can stay hot as they've won nine out of their last 10 games.
The Cardinals will give the ball to 23-year-old southpaw Matthew Liberatore, who has a 1-2 record and a 6.18 ERA in six appearances this year. The young pitcher has been hit around this month, allowing 11 earned runs in 14 innings and .310 OBA. St. Louis will need Liberatore to pitch some innings after Wainwright got taken out early on Saturday afternoon.
Offensively, St. Louis has to be better with runners in scoring position. In Saturday's loss, the Cardinals went 1-for-6 with RISP and left seven runners on base, which is unacceptable. Nolan Arenado hasn't had the best success against Stroman over his career (.238 with two RBI in 21 at-bats).
However, Paul Goldschmidt has great numbers vs. Stroman, slugging .381 with three home runs and seven RBI in 21 at-bats. If Goldschmidt can get something going at the top of the batting order, it will help the rest of the lineup. Nevertheless, we will take Cubs ML, as they have the pitching edge with Stroman on the mound. Stroman has pitched well this month (1.40 ERA, four earned runs) and should be able to keep the Cardinals' bats in check.
Best Bet: Cubs moneyline (-135)