Two of the top teams in the National League will play the second game of a four-game set on Saturday as the Chicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. It is a key series for the Cubs since they will be playing a doubleheader tomorrow as the last games before the All-Star break.  Saturday’s game on Fox television has Brad Thompson getting the start for the Cardinals while Ted Lilly goes for Chicago.

GAME: St. Louis Cardinals (48-40) at Chicago Cubs (41-42)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, July 11 - 4:10 PM EST
WHERE: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
LINE: 160, -180 TOTAL: 9
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Oddsmakers currently have the Cubs listed as 180-moneyline favorites versus the Cardinals, while the game's total is sitting at 9.

This will probably be Thompson’s last start for a while since Kyle Lohse comes off the DL for a start tomorrow.  Thompson is 2-5 on the season with a 4.92 ERA for St. Louis.  Lilly is 8-6 on the season for the Cubs with a 3.32 ERA.  He is the only Cubs player going to the All-Star game.  He held the Brewers to two runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings in his last start. He is 5-1 at home this season.

For Lilly to have success on Saturday he will probably have to hold St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols in check. Pujols is having a fabulous season already. "You have to make three great pitches against him to get him out," Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija said. "You can't get away with two and make your third one good. You know it's going to be a solid at-bat, and obviously, the situation will dictate how you pitch to him.”  Pujols is hitting .290 in his career against Lilly. "I try to be aggressive," Lilly said. "Obviously, if the game's on the line, you can't allow him to beat you. I look forward to it. He's possibly the best hitter in baseball. It's a great challenge."

Here are the MLB Betting stats for Saturday’s game. The Cardinals are 5-2 in their last 7 Saturday games. The Cardinals are 7-15 in their last 22 road games vs. a left-handed starter.

The Cubs are 7-3 in their last 10 home games vs. a right-handed starter. The Cubs are 1-4 in their last 5 Saturday games. The Cubs are 21-6 in Lilly’s last 27 home starts. The Cubs are 6-2 in Lilly’s last 8 starts vs. the Cardinals.

The Under is 4-0 in the Cardinals last 4 Saturday games. The Under is 22-9-2 in the Cardinals last 33 road games vs. a left-handed starter. The Under is 9-4 in Thompson’s last 13 starts overall. The Under is 7-3 in the Cubs last 10 games vs. a right-handed starter. The Under is 11-2 in Lilly’s last 13 home starts. The Under is 4-0 in Lilly’s last 4 starts vs. the Cardinals.
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Batting
The Chicago Cubs are ranked 27 in hitting, with a batting average of .247. The Cubs are averaging 4.1 runs per game this season with an OPS of .721.
The St. Louis Cardinals are ranked 23 in hitting, with a batting average of .256. The Cardinals are averaging 4.5 runs per game this season with an OPS of .742.

Pitching
The Chicago Cubs are ranked 6 in pitching, with an earned run average of 3.87. Opponents are hitting .247 for average, and have a .330 on base percentage and .247 OPS against the Cubs this season.
The St. Louis Cardinals are ranked 3 in pitching, with an earned run average of 3.75. Opponents are hitting .254 for average, and have a .317 on base percentage and .254 OPS against the Cardinals this season.
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Current streak:
St. Louis has won 2 straight games.
Chicago has lost 3 straight games.

Team records:
St. Louis: 48-40 SU
Chicago: 41-42 SU

St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Chi Cubs are 8-2
After playing Chi Cubs are 6-4
After a win are 5-5

Chicago most recently:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing St. Louis are 1-9
After playing St. Louis are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6

A few trends to consider:
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Chi Cubs are 8-4 SU in their last 12 games at home
Chi Cubs are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home
Chi Cubs are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games
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