Chicago Cubs (20-32) +175, o/u 9 ½ at St. Louis Cardinals (34-19), 7 p.m. Eastern
by Ultimatecapper.com Staff
Old rivals clash again as the Chicago Cubs head to the Gateway City for the first of a 3-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night at the new Busch Stadium.
St. Louis just took 2 of 3 games from Houston, and leads the NL Central Division by 5 ½ games over second-place Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Cubs are mired in 5th place, 13 ½ games back.
Chicago just took 2 of 3 from the Reds to close out a 2-4 homestand.
Since Cubs 1B Derrek Lee went on the DL in late April, Chicago has gone 10-24. Without Lee in the lineup, the Cubs scored a total of 93 runs in the month of May, 2nd-fewest in the majors in that span.
Chicago is 8-18 on the road this season, and 7-18 as underdogs.
St. Louis is 20-8 at home this year, and 33-16 as chalk.
The Cubs have taken 4 of 6 games from the Cards this season.
Chicago’s left-handed rookie Marshall (3-3, 5.03) has been on a roller-coaster ride recently. Five starts ago, Marshall gave up 1 ER in 6 innings. Then he allowed 9 R in 3 2/3. Then he pitched 6 shutout innings, followed by a 7 R in 3 1/3 innings appearance. And in his last outing, Marshall gave up just 2 R in 6 IP.
Marshall made his debut vs. St. Louis in April, giving up 4 R and 4 hits in 4 1/3 IP.
St. Louis’ Ponson (4-0, 2.92) is making his second start since coming off the DL with an elbow injury. In his first start back vs. San Diego last Saturday, Ponson limited the Padres to 2 runs on 7 hits in five innings.
Ponson has a string of allowing 2 or fewer ER in six straight starts. But he certainly doesn’t go very far in those games, averaging 5 1/3 innings per start this year.
In two starts vs. the Cubs this year, Ponson has allowed 4 ER and 17 H+W in 10 IP.
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The over/under is 5-5 in games started by Marshall this year, 3-4 in Ponson’s starts.
Chicago ranks last in the NL with a .305 team OBP, and averages just 3.9 runs per game.
St. Louis owns a .349 team OBP, 2nd-best in the league, and averages 5.0 RPG.
The Cubs bullpen has allowed 7 ER and 26 H+W in its last 22 IP.
The Cardinals pen has given up 6 ER and 23 H+W in its last 17 1/3 IP.
Chicago just picked up 3B Phil Nevin from Texas, and he’ll probably play Friday.
For St. Louis, sparkplug David Eckstein is listed as questionable for Friday with a wrist injury, and OF Jim Edmonds is doubtful with an abdominal injury.
The o/u is 25-26 in Cubs games this year, 25-25 in Cardinals games, and 13-14 at the new Busch Stadium.
The Ultimatecapper Pick: Cardinals role over an unstable Marshall. | 
