Dan Johnson runs through his three best bets, picks, and predictions for Sunday night’s Cardinals vs. Cubs matchup.

We roll straight into a glorious NL Central rivalry on Sunday Night Baseball, and both clubs are sending their respective aces to the mound. Sonny Gray hits the rubber for the Cardinals, and Shota Imanaga for the Cubs.

Check out all the options available on the MLB page of DK Sportsbook. Below’s a thorough look at my favorite bets for Cardinals vs. Cubs on Sunday night.

Sonny Gray u5.5 total strikeouts (-105)

St. Louis’s veteran ace Sonny Gray is in for a rough night racking up Ks. Hammer the under on 5.5 strikeouts with confidence. Why? The Chicago lineup simply doesn’t oblige pitchers who fish for swings. The Cubs boast the third-lowest chase rate in the majors and sixth-highest contact rate in the zone, a nightmare for a strikeout artist who lives off tempting hitters. Gray’s 27% K rate (top-20% in MLB) comes largely from getting batters to expand the zone, but Chicago’s disciplined approach neutralizes that weapon. In fact, Gray sits in the elite range for inducing chases, yet if those chases don’t come, his strikeout totals plummet. And the patient Cubs won’t bite.

Look for Chicago’s hitters to grind out at-bats, foul off pitches, and put balls in play early. Gray is also likely capped around ~85 pitches, which makes reaching 6 Ks even tougher against a club averaging under 8 strikeouts per game. All signs point to Gray falling short of six punchouts. In a primetime road atmosphere with the Cubs hunting a division win, expect Gray to labor for outs and finish with a modest strikeout tally (think four-to-five Ks). This under 5.5 K prop is a savvy value play that should cash by the middle innings.

Kyle Tucker to hit a home run (+450)

I know the index finger injury has been a real problem for Tucker, and thus a massive problem for the Cubs’ lineup. He’s had no pop. So what am I doing, advising you to throw a dart on him to go yard tonight? Believing that the injury is minor enough that a slow, play-through convalescence might finally be turning the corner—that’s what.

For a splashy payoff on Sunday night, ride Kyle Tucker to go deep. The Cubs’ star right fielder has every factor in his favor to launch one out at Busch Stadium. He’s a left-handed slugger with a platoon edge over righty Sonny Gray, and the hot, humid St. Louis evening air will make the ball carry. Tucker has already shown he can handle Gray’s arsenal. In limited meetings he’s hit a sizzling .375 with a .625 slugging off him, barreling up the ball with authority. In fact, Tucker owns an 11% barrel rate, and he ranks among Chicago’s top hitters at punishing the exact pitch mix Gray throws.

Meanwhile, Gray has quietly struggled with hard contact all season (his barrel-against rate is well above league average), meaning when hitters do connect, they tend to do damage. That’s a recipe for fireworks. Tucker appears to be heating up at the perfect time, shaking off a mid-season slump with a multi-hit game last night and bringing big-game pedigree from his championship runs in Houston. Under the national spotlight, expect Tucker to rise to the occasion. He’s aggressive early in counts and will attack any mistake Gray leaves over the plate. At +450 odds, the value is tremendous for a player of Tucker’s caliber. Don’t be shocked when he trots around the bases tonight, silencing the St. Louis crowd with a moonshot and cashing this bold home run prop.

Willson Contreras o1.5 total bases (+110)

Back the Cardinals’ first baseman to shine against his former team. The veteran slugger draws a juicy matchup against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga. Contreras crushes southpaws. He’s one of the few St. Louis bats who consistently punish left-handed pitching, already logging multiple homers vs. lefties this season and hitting well above .270 in the split. He’ll have the platoon advantage and the adrenaline of Sunday Night Baseball fueling him. Advanced metrics scream in support: Contreras leads the Cardinals in barrel rate and is near the top in hard-hit percentage, meaning he’s the best bet in this lineup to rip an extra-base knock.

Imanaga has been solid, but shows vulnerability when facing power-laden lineups, and he leans on a fastball over 55% of the time. That plays right into Contreras’s strengths. He’s a notorious fastball hunter who will be geared up for the heater. With the weather warm and the ball carrying better than usual at Busch, Contreras could easily drive a pitch into the gaps or even over the fence. He’s also no stranger to clutch moments; expect the ex-Cub to relish this chance to torment Chicago on a national stage.