Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/29/2026

Game Time: 8:15 pm ET, Friday, May 29, 2026

Venue:  Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -136, Cardinals +113; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -135, Cardinals +115; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -135, Cardinals +115; Over/Under:  8 runs

Chicago Cubs:  30-26 (3rd place, NL Central)

St Louis Cardinals:  29-25 (2nd place, NL Central)

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Chicago Cubs:  1-9 last 10

St Louis Cardinals:  3-7 last 10

The Cubs got swept in their 3-game series against the Houston Astros 3-0. They enter this game with a 30-26 record overall and have a road record of 12-15. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cardinals on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates still to be played on Thursday. The Cubs lost the series opener on Monday, lost the 2nd game on Tuesday, and won the 3rd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .725 OPS. Colin Rea is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Shota Imanaga is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-5 with a 4.04 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 7 ER, 3 HR, and 1 BB with 6 SO on 7 hits through 6 IP against the Houston Astros.

The Cardinals are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 3-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 29-25 record overall and have a home record of 13-13. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 15th in the MLB with a .701 OPS. Dustin May was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Kyle Leahy is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-3 with a 4.44 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 earned runs, 2 homers, and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts on 7 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Cincinnati Reds.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 30-26 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They have been a bad road team though with their 12-15 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 29-25 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark though with their 13-13 home record this season. The Cubs have looked terrible lately and they are 1-9 in their last 10 games, going through a terrible slump, but they finally broke a 10 game losing streak against the Pirates and will be looking to pull themselves out of this funk now. The Cardinals haven't looked any better lately either, going 3-7 in their last 10 games and getting swept by the Brewers in their last series. Imanaga is on the mound for the Cubs in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 4-5 with a 4.04 ERA and the team has had some trouble with him lately too. They have lost 3 games in a row now with him starting and he is off a terrible start in which he gave up 7 earned runs, but that hasn't been a common theme for him and he will be looking to bounce back with a better start. Leahy is on the mound for the Cardinals in this one and he hasn't looked great this season either. He is 5-3 with a 4.44 ERA and his team has been struggling lately with him too. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting and he just gave up 5 earned runs in his last start. The Cubs have a lot of issues right now, but they do have the better offense and they are starting to play better now while the Cardinals went quiet in their last series against the Brewers. Look for the Cubs to start bouncing back while the Cardinals continue to regress from their hot start to the season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Cubs Cardinals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, May 29, 2026 (8:15 pm ET start time) is Cubs 5 Cardinals 3.

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Chicago Cubs: 86-80 (-12.1 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 61-60 (-6.3 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 83-89 (-5.1 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 19-10 OVER vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse.

St Louis Cardinals: 102-105 (+22.9 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 54-47 (+6.4 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 53-50 (+9.8 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better. 23-17 OVER at home after 2 or more consecutive losses.

Chicago Cubs:  E. Cabrera (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Finger. M. Shaw (RF) Ten Day IL - Back. M. Boyd (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. R. Martin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. P. Hodge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Horton (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Tricep. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Austin (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Miller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

St Louis Cardinals:  N. Church (LF) Ten Day IL - Lower-body. R. Urias (3B) Ten Day IL - Elbow. L. Nootbaar (LF) Sixty Day IL - Heels.

“We did a really nice job on offense.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s win against the Pirates in their game on Wednesday. 

"It's hard to not at least be a thought, but you try and push it out as much as possible. At that point, you're just trying to win a ballgame. It's a 1-0 game, trying to go out and execute pitches outside of that." - Dustin May after their loss against the Brewers in their game on Wednesday. 

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Ian Happ (S) LF

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Moisés Ballesteros (L) DH

Carson Kelly (R) C

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Nolan Gorman (L) 3B

Masyn Winn (R) SS

Bryan Torres (L) LF

Pedro Pagés (R) C

Victor Scott II (L) CF

Batting Average:  Carson Kelly (.306)

Hits:  Alex Bregman (58)

Home Runs:  Ian Happ (11)

RBI:  Nico Hoerner (32)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (12)

Wins:  Shota Imanaga (4)

Saves:  Daniel Palencia (3)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Batting Average:  Bryan Torres (.316)

Hits:  Jordan Walker (61)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (15)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (42)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (7)

Wins:  Kyle Leahy (5)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (13)

ERA:  Gordon Graceffo (1.65)

Managers:

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)