Chicago at St. Louis

Shota Imanaga gets the ball for Chicago and still owns a strong 1.07 WHIP despite some uneven recent results. His ability to limit baserunners is important against a Cardinals lineup that relies more on stringing hits together than power. Andre Pallante has quietly been effective for St. Louis as well, with a 3.76 ERA, and the Cardinals have consistently played lower-scoring games behind him because he generates ground balls and avoids big innings. Cubs/Cardinals under 8 looks solid because both offenses are trending down, and Busch Stadium usually plays to a lower-scoring game at night. The Cubs are batting just .198 over their last 10 games and have gone under in six of their last eight overall. St. Louis has not been much better lately, hitting .221 over its last 10 while averaging barely four runs per game. Both bullpens are also in decent shape entering the series opener, which matters for an 8-run total. With both lineups struggling for consistency and the rivalry games typically tightening up late, this profile is more like a 4-3 type game than a slugfest. UNDER is the play here.