Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/30/2026

Game Time: 2:15 pm ET, Thursday, July 30, 2026

Venue:  Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to Watch:  ESPN Unlimited, MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -110, Cardinals -110; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -110, Cardinals -110; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -110, Cardinals -110; Over/Under:  8 runs

Chicago Cubs:  61-46 (2nd place, NL Central)

St Louis Cardinals:  53-54 (4th place, NL Central)

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Chicago Cubs:  7-3 last 10

St Louis Cardinals:  2-8 last 10

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 61-46 record overall and have a road record of 31-24. This is the series finale of a 4-game series with the Cardinals on Thursday with the 3rd game still to be played on Wednesday. The Cubs won the series opener on Monday and the 2nd game on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .758 OPS. Matthew Boyd is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Javier Assad is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 6-1 with a 3.86 ERA this season. His team won 7 of their last 8 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 3 SO on 1 hit through 3 IP against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Cardinals are entering this series off a loss and lost their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 53-54 record overall and have a home record of 27-31. This is the 4th game of a 4-game series with the Cubs on Thursday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. The Cardinals lost the 1st game of this series on Monday and the 2nd game on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 26th in the MLB with a .695 OPS. Dustin May is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Andre Pallante is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 11-6 with a 3.77 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 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 8 strikeouts on 2 hits through 7 innings pitched against the Cincinnati Reds.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a pick ‘em in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 53-54 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the NL Central. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark with their 27-31 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 61-46 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 31-24 road record this year. The Cubs have been rolling lately as they are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have one of the best offenses in the league again, putting up a ton of runs lately. The Cardinals had a great start to the season, but they have been regressing a lot lately and now they have entered a slump, going 2-8 in their last 10 games with their offense not putting up many runs either. Pallante is on the mound for the Cardinals in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 11-6 with a 3.77 ERA and has been their ace this year, leading the team in wins. He is coming off another great start in which he gave up no runs, but the team has still lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The offense has looked terrible lately which is going to be an issue against the red hot Cubs and the bullpen hasn't looked that great either. The Cubs are going with Assad in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 6-1 with a 3.86 ERA and has looked a lot better lately. He gave up no runs in his last appearance which is starting to become a common theme for him and the team has been having lots of success with him lately, winning 7 of their last 8 games with him making an appearance. Look for the Cubs to continue rolling in this one with Imanaga pitching a lot better now and the Cubs having the more reliable offense to lean on. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Cubs Cardinals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, July 30, 2026 (2:15 pm ET start time) is Cubs 6 Cardinals 3.

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Chicago Cubs: 241-198 (+17.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 192-143 (+32.1 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 136-107 (+12.3 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 26-21 UNDER on the road vs. a starting pitcher who gives up 0.5 or less HR's/start.

St Louis Cardinals: 213-218 (-4.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 139-159 (-12.8 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 66-72 (-5.1 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 18-9 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%).

Chicago Cubs:  P. Maton (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. M. Shaw (RF) Ten Day IL - Hand. E. Roberts (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. H. Milner (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Appendicitis. B. Brown (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Neck. E. Cabrera (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. D. Palencia (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. R. Martin (RP) Sixty 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:  J. Romero (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Appendix. M. Rajcic (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Urias (3B) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“It’s always their job to put the best possible team that they can on the field. Absolutely, there’s urgency. These games go by fast, and the season gets short. I think we have a lot of really exciting things ahead of us.” - Nico Hoerner after their win against the Cardinals in their game on Tuesday. 

“Although frustrating, I love where our staff’s minds are at. Previous years, there would have been a high, high level of frustration with this stretch. And our staff, I give them a lot of credit, because they keep me from getting there at times, of really understanding what the task is.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s loss against the Cubs in their game on Tuesday. 

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Ian Happ (S) DH

Nico Hoerner (R) SS

Michael Conforto (L) LF

Carson Kelly (R) C

Pedro Ramírez (S) 2B

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Lars Nootbaar (L) LF

Masyn Winn (R) SS

Nathan Church (L) CF

José Fermín (R) 3B

Jimmy Crooks (L) C

Batting Average:  James Triantos (.500)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (114)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (23)

RBI:  Dansby Swanson (61)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (26)

Wins:  Colin Rea (8)

Saves:  Jacob Webb (5)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Batting Average:  Alec Burleson (.285)

Hits:  Alec Burleson (116)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (22)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (77)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (14)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (11)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (26)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (2.70)

Managers:

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)