Cubs vs Cardinals Breakdown, Free Pick, Betting Preview for Sunday, June 24

The St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in a primetime NL Central battle from Busch Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. EDT, with regional coverage available on BSMW and MARQ. Below, find my full MLB betting preview and Cubs vs Cardinals prediction, including probable pitchers, betting trends, and a breakdown of why I’m backing the Under 8.5.

The Cubs will turn to veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon, who’s quietly put together one of the more reliable stretches in Chicago’s rotation. Taillon enters with a 7–4 record and a 3.84 ERA, and despite a bumpy outing last week, he’s still riding a five-start stretch where he’s averaged nearly six innings and allowed three runs or fewer in four of those appearances. He’s not a strikeout artist by any means (K% near 20%), but he excels at limiting walks and avoiding hard contact, holding an average exit velocity of 88 mph. Taillon has found a fair amount of success against this Cardinals lineup over the last 2 seasons, pitching to a 3.47 ERA across his last 4 starts (23.33 innings). He faced them earlier this season and went 6 full innings, allowing just 1 earned run, 6 hits, and no walks.  

Opposing him is Cardinals rookie Michael McGreevy, making just his sixth career start. The former first-round pick has impressed early, posting a 2.70 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in limited action. McGreevy isn’t overpowering, but his command and contact suppression have drawn praise from the St. Louis coaching staff. He holds a BB% of just 3.1% and an average exit velocity of 87.3 MPH. He’s allowed one or fewer runs in all but 2 of his 7 career outings, and those came @ Coors Field and against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This Cubs lineup is always dangerous, but they’ve been very inconsistent as of late (barring a three game series against the Mariners in perfect hitting conditions at Wrigley). They are tied for 19th in wRC+, 26th in BA, and 28th in OBP since the start of June. 

A highly profitable, and very consistent, Insider system has been triggered for tonight’s matchup. It has had a winning record in 10 straight seasons, and is 19 out of 28 so far this season. See below for details. 

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System) In-Conference mid-to-late season, RLM

• 62% win rate, 20% ROI
• Game is in-conference
• Game #50 or later
• No more than 25% of public bets on under
• Total moved down from open
• Wind not blowing out

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This trusted system has stood the test of time—and tonight’s Cubs vs Cardinals matchup fits it like a glove. Back the Under 8.5 with confidence, and don’t forget to check out the rest of today’s MLB edges and Insider picks before first pitch.