The St. Louis Cardinals will look to draw even in the four-game series when they meet the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 on Friday. Chicago earned a 5-4 win in Thursday night's opener, scoring three times in the ninth in a key National League Central Division matchup.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cardinals are the -115 money-line favorites (risk $115 to win $100) in the latest Cardinals vs. Cubs odds, while the Cubs are -105 underdogs. The over/under for total runs scored is 8 in the latest MLB odds via SportsLine consensus. 

Before you make any Cardinals vs. Cubs picks or MLB predictions, you need to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It entered Week 19 of the 2024 MLB season 55-48 on all-top rated MLB picks this season. Dating back to last season, it is on a 24-11 roll on top-rated run-line picks (+877). Anybody following has seen STRONG returns!

The model knows shortstop Masyn Winn is among the Cardinals' hot hitters of late. He has hits in seven of eight games, including four straight. In a 10-8 loss to the Washington Nationals on July 26, he was 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI. He homered and was 2-for-5 with two RBI in Thursday's loss to the Cubs. For the season, he has played in 101 games, and is hitting .281 with 18 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 39 RBI. 

The model also knows center fielder Cody Bellinger has been red hot since returning from the injured list. He also has hits in eight of 10 games, including a five-game hitting streak. In a 13-4 win at Cincinnati on Wednesday, he was 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. He was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Reds. In 82 games this season, he is batting .280 with 16 doubles, one triple, 11 homers, 42 RBI and 44 runs scored.

The model has simulated Cardinals vs. Cubs 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the run total, and it also says one side of the money line has ALL the value!

Who wins Cardinals vs. Cubs, and which side of the money line has ALL the value? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the money line you should be all over, all from the model on a 24-11 roll on top-rated MLB run-line picks!