Cubs vs Cardinals Sunday Night Baseball Prop Bets: Sonny's Strikeout Stuff Shines

Prop bet #1: Sonny Gray Over 6.5 strikeouts

It’s been quite a start to the year for Sonny Gray, his first with the St. Louis Cardinals, and the fifth team he’s pitched for since getting to the bigs in 2013. At 6-2 in eight starts, he’s tied for the fourth-most wins while offering up a solid 2.87 ERA.

We’re targeting his strikeout total Sunday, which is set at 6.5. Gray has had 6+ strikeouts in each of his last seven starts, so he’s likely to be around that number again. The confidence to hit the Over is how he’s pitched against the Chicago Cubs, no matter his uniform.

Last year, as a member of the Twins, Gray struck out nine Cubbies despite his team losing the game 6-2. He made four starts against them in the 2020 and 2021 seasons while a member of the Reds. Gray failed to top that strikeout total in just one of those outings, finishing with four strikeouts. 

In the other three, he punched out at least eight Cubbies, topped by an impressive 11-strikeout effort in a July 2020 start, beating Chicago 12-7 and earning the win. His pitching chops from this year and his success against the Cubs make this an easy Over for me.

Sonny Gray prop: Over 6.5 strikeouts (+120 at FanDuel)

Prop bet #2: Brendan Donovan to hit a single

Brendan Donovan has been doing the leadoff position proud for St. Louis in recent weeks. After picking up a pair of hits in St. Louis’ win over Chicago on Saturday, he now has a hit in 10 of his last 11 games.

While Donovan has hit his way out of a slump — he was hitting .202 and that’s now at a more reasonable .233 — his hits haven’t been for a lot of pop. In those 11 games, he has hit a single in eight of those contests.

He’s only had five career at-bats against Cubs’ starter Javier Assad, but wouldn’t you know it, his lone hit was a base hit. These aren’t the best MLB odds to hit this prop, but one of St. Louis’ hottest hitters is a good bet to extend his streak Sunday — and it’s most likely with a single.

Brendan Donovan prop: To hit a single (-175 at FanDuel)

Prop bet #3: Christopher Morel to record an RBI

Let’s end this one with Cubs’ third baseman Christopher Morel, who finally broke his four-game hitless slump with a single in Saturday’s loss to the Cards. He'll also try to break a three-game streak against the Cardinals, where he’s failed to drive in a run, and he’s getting plus-money odds over at FanDuel to do it.

Chicago’s RBI leader with 33 had been a pretty reliable run producer against the Cardinals before this current mini-struggle. Before that, Morel had successfully picked up an RBI in six of eight contests against St. Louis.

Morel has only had three at-bats against Gray, going 1-for-3 with a single and no runs driven in, but I expect him to be one of the run-producers against the Cubs. He's driven in a run in seven of the last eight series the Cubs have played, so look for the pattern to continue on getaway day at Busch Stadium.

Christopher Morel prop: To record an RBI (+150 at FanDuel)