The National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs kick off a Sunday Night Baseball doubleheader when they host the St. Louis Cardinals in the rubber match of their three-game series. Chicago, which owns a four-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers and is 5 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis, rolled to an 11-3 victory in the opener of the set before the Cardinals triumphed 8-6 on Saturday.
The nightcap of the doubleheader pits the San Diego Padres against the visiting Texas Rangers in the rubber match of their three-game series. San Diego edged Texas 3-2 in 10 innings on Friday, but the Rangers bounced back to even the set with a 7-4 victory Saturday.
Chicago is a -209 betting favorite against St. Louis in the latest SportsLine consensus odds, and the total is set at 7.5. Meanwhile, San Diego is a -135 favorite versus Texas in the latest SportsLine consensus odds, with the total of their contest set at 8.5.
In addition to the Sunday Night Baseball doubleheader that is part of a 15-game slate in MLB, there are three contests on the WNBA schedule, as well as the Concacaf Gold Cup Final.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Sunday, July 6.
⚾MLB best bets, where to watch
Cardinals at Cubs
Time: 6:10 p.m. ET | Location: Chicago | TV: ESPN
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 7.5 | Expert: Cubs -1.5
Right-hander Erick Fedde (3-8, 4.56 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals in search of his first victory since May 9 against the Washington Nationals. The 32-year-old has gone 0-5 in nine starts since then as is coming off back-to-back outings in which he surrendered seven runs – including a June 25 contest against Chicago. The Cubs counter with left-hander Matthew Boyd (8-3, 2.65), who has won three straight decisions and scattered three hits over six scoreless innings in a win at St. Louis opposite Fedde last month. The SportsLine Projection Model sees fewer than eight total runs being scored in this contest, while SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall feels the Cubs will win by at least two against the Cardinals.
Rangers at Padres
Time: 9:10 p.m. ET | Location: San Diego | TV: ESPN
SportsLine picks — Model: Padres -135
Jack Leiter (4-5, 4.29 ERA) will be seeking his first win in six turns when he makes the start for the Rangers. In five outings last month, the 25-year-old righty suffered three losses and settled for two no-decisions despite allowing just one run in each. The Padres have yet to announce their starter for the rubber match, but the SportsLine Projection Model still is leaning toward San Diego.
More MLB best bets
🏀WNBA best bets, where to watch
Storm at Liberty
Time: 1 p.m. ET | Location: New York | TV: CBS
Expert pick: Storm +5.5
New York improved to 7-1 at home with Thursday’s 89-79 victory against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Storm are 1-1 on their four-game road trip after edging the Atlanta Dream 80-79 on Thursday, when Skylar Diggins converted a decisive layup with 3.4 seconds remaining. The Liberty are looking to even the season series after dropping an 89-79 decision at Seattle on June 22. SportsLine’s WNBA analysts Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai believe the Storm match up well against New York with Jonquel Jones sidelined due to an ankle injury.
More WNBA picks
Max Meyer has picks for Storm vs. Liberty and Sky vs. Lynx
⚽Concacaf Gold Cup best bets, where to watch
United States vs. Mexico
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Houston | TV: Fox
SportsLine picks — Expert: Mexico to score in second half -110
The United States and Mexico battle once again in the Gold Cup Final. The Mexican side enters this matchup as both the defending Gold Cup champs and the favorite over the Americans. While neither squad has been impressive to SportsLine expert Jon Eimer, he thinks Mexico ultimately is too talented for a U.S. team that’s “primarily a backup squad,” and one of his picks is for Mexico to score in the second half. “I don’t have faith in the USA to stop the likes of Raul Jimenez and Santiago Gimenez from scoring goals,” he said.
