The Chicago Cubs owned the best record in baseball in 2016, going 103-58 in the regular season before going on to win their first World Series title since 1908. The Cubs will try to get off to a strong start in 2017 in a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals starting this Sunday night.
Cubs vs. Cardinals 2017 odds: Chicago starts title defense as betting favorite at St. Louis
The chalk Chicago Cubs will send Jon Lester to the mound in St. Louis on Sunday night against the Cardinals’ Carlos Martinez as the 2017 MLB season gets underway.
Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago is a -130 road favorite in St. Louis at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Jon Lester is set to start for the Cubs against Carlos Martinez and the Cardinals at +110 at home.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs lived up to their hype in 2016, setting the pace in the regular season with 103 wins and then getting the job done in the postseason with a World Series victory. Chicago fell into a 3-1 hole in the World Series against Cleveland, but closed out the postseason with three straight victories to claim the championship.
With the core still largely intact, the Cubs are favored to repeat in 2017, and will now face the new obstacle of legitimate expectations.
Jon Lester was a consistent moneymaker for Cubs backers last year, going 16-3 straight up on the moneyline and 11-8 on the runline over his last 19 games per the OddsShark MLB Database.
St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis missed the postseason for the first time since 2010 last year, finishing second to the Cubs in the NL Central with an 86-76 record after winning the division and earning at least 90 wins in each of its previous three seasons.
One of the bright spots from last year’s team was the play of Sunday’s starter Martinez, who went 16-9 with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 195.2 innings pitched. The Cardinals have lost in each of Martinez’s last four starts against the Cubs.
Sunday’s total is set at 7.5 runs. The UNDER is 4-1 in the last five games between these two division rivals.
After kicking off this three-game series on Sunday night, the Cubs and Cardinals have the day off on Monday before resuming on Tuesday. Tuesday’s starters are projected to be Jake Arrieta vs. Adam Wainwright, and Wednesday will feature a matchup between John Lackey and Lance Lynn.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
When: Sunday, April 2, 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: New Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
