Atlanta Braves vs St Louis Cardinals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/10/2026

Game Time: 8:15 pm ET, Friday, July 10, 2026

Venue:  Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to Watch:  MLB TV, Apple TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -168, Cardinals +139; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -165, Cardinals +135; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -165, Cardinals +135; Over/Under:  8 runs

Atlanta Braves:  54-38 (1st place, NL East)

St Louis Cardinals:  48-43 (3rd place, NL Central)

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Atlanta Braves:  5-5 last 10

St Louis Cardinals:  5-5 last 10

The Braves are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 54-38 record overall and have a road record of 27-20. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cardinals on Friday. Their offense ranks 12th in the MLB with a .728 OPS. Bryce Elder was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Chris Sale is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 9-6 with a 2.27 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 3 ER, 2 HR, and 2 BB with 3 SO on 7 hits through 5 IP against the New York Mets.

The Cardinals won their 3-game series against the Chicago Cubs 2-1. They enter this game with a 48-43 record overall and have a home record of 24-24. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers still to be played on Thursday. The Cardinals lost the series opener on Monday, lost the 2nd game on Tuesday, lost the 3rd game on Tuesday, and won the 4th game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 17th in the MLB with a .715 OPS. Andre Pallante is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Kyle Leahy is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 7-4 with a 3.86 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts on 3 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Chicago Cubs.

The current betting odds have the Braves listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 54-38 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have been a good road team too with their 27-20 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 48-43 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark though with their 24-24 home record this season. Neither team has looked great lately as both are 5-5 in their last 10 games respectively, but the Braves just won their last series over the Pirates and their offense has been getting really hot again. The Braves are going to have Sale on the mound here and he has looked great this season. He is 9-6 with a 2.27 ERA and he has been their ace this season. He did give up 3 earned runs in his last start which isn't terrible, but even that hasn't been a common theme for him this season. The team has also been having more success with him lately, winning 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Cardinals are going with Leahy in this one and he hasn't looked bad this season. He is 7-4 with a 3.86 ERA and the team has been having success with him lately. They have won 2 games in a row now with him starting and he is coming off a great start in which he gave up no runs. The Cardinals have been really up and down with their offense though and Leahy hasn't been the most reliable starter for a lot of the season, so look for the Braves to take advantage of this pitching matchup as they are starting to get hot again. The best way to place a bet here is on the Braves to win this game. 

Braves Cardinals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 10, 2026 (8:15 pm ET start time) is Braves 5 Cardinals 2.

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Atlanta Braves: 39-39 (-10.6 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 218-199 (-46.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 106-104 (-17.7 units) on the moneyline in road games. 92-59 UNDER as a favorite of -150 or more.

St Louis Cardinals: 110-114 (+23.8 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 64-52 (+12.6 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 53-48 (+16.5 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%). 15-6 UNDER as a home underdog of +125 or more.

Atlanta Braves:  M. Perez (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. H. Kim (SS) Ten Day IL - Finger. R. Suarez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Strider (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Acuna Jr. (RF) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. S. Murphy (C) Sixty Day IL - Finger. A. Smith-Shawver (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Wentz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Jimenez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Schwellenbach (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

St Louis Cardinals:  R. Stanek (RP) Day To Day - Leg. M. Rajcic (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Urias (3B) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“Coming back here against the team that had just let him go, that’s always a little different for players. So, I’m sure it’s a great feeling for him.” - Walt Weiss after his team’s win against the Pirates in their game on Wednesday.

“Made pitches and then was able to settle in and did a really nice job in the way he used the sinker, that was a good pitch for him. The cutter was good. He threw some much better sweepers too, so that was fun to see. But the overall mix was really good. Gave us exactly what we needed today. I mean, everybody has a pretty good idea as to what our ‘pen is, and giving them a break was important.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s win against the Brewers in their game on Wednesday.

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Drake Baldwin (L) C

Mauricio Dubón (R) LF

Dominic Smith (L) DH

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF

Jim Jarvis (L) SS

Masyn Winn (R) SS

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Nelson Velázquez (R) LF

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

José Fermín (R) 2B

Blaze Jordan (R) 3B

Lars Nootbaar (L) CF

Pedro Pagés (R) C

Batting Average:  Jair Camargo (.500)

Hits:  Michael Harris (98)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (25)

RBI:  Matt Olson (58)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuña (15)

Wins:  Chris Sale (9)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (18)

ERA:  Victor Mederos (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jordan Walker (.294)

Hits:  Jordan Walker (101)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (21)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (70)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (12)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (10)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (22)

ERA:  Luis Gastelum (0.00)

Managers:

Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)