St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/03/2026

Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Friday, July 3, 2026

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +105, Cubs -126; Over/Under:  10.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +105, Cubs -125; Over/Under:  10.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +105, Cubs -125; Over/Under:  10.5 runs

St Louis Cardinals:  44-39 (3rd place, NL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  49-38 (2nd place, NL Central)

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St Louis Cardinals:  4-6 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  9-1 last 10

The Cardinals lost their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 44-39 record overall and have a road record of 21-18. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Atlanta Braves still to be played on Thursday. The Cardinals won the series opener on Tuesday and lost the 2nd game on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .711 OPS. Dustin May is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Andre Pallante is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 9-5 with a 3.83 ERA this season. His team won 6 of their last 7 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 5 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 4 SO on 11 hits through 6.2 IP against the Miami Marlins.

The Cubs are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the San Diego Padres in their last series. They enter this game with a 49-38 record overall and have a home record of 26-17. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Cardinals on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .754 OPS. Colin Rea was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while David Peterson is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-6 with a 5.86 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 0 walks with 2 strikeouts on 5 hits through 5.2 innings pitched against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The current betting odds have the Cardinals listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 44-39 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 21-18 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 49-38 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 26-17 home record this season. The Cubs have been rolling lately as they are 9-1 in their last 10 games and have one of the best offenses in MLB, but the Cardinals don't have a bad offense either and they are going to have the better pitching matchup in this one. The Cardinals are going with Pallante in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 9-5 with a 3.83 ERA and the team has been having a ton of success with him lately. They have won 6 of their last 7 games with him starting and even though he did give up 5 earned runs in his last start, that hasn't been a common theme for him this year and he will be looking to have a better start. The Cubs are going with newly acquired starter Peterson in this one, but he hasn't looked great this season. He is 4-6 with a 5.86 ERA and he has been giving up quite a few runs. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him and the team has also been having trouble with him lately, his team losing 3 of their last 4 games with him as the starter. The Cubs have also had pitching troubles all year, dealing with a lot of injuries, so look for the Cardinals to take advantage of this matchup in this very important series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cardinals to win this game. 

Cardinals Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 3, 2026 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Cardinals 7 Cubs 6.

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St Louis Cardinals: 132-148 (-9.8 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 38-46 (-5.2 units) on the moneyline vs. a starting pitcher who gives up 0.5 or less HR's/start. 77-88 (-12.3 units) on the moneyline in day games. 29-12 UNDER vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse.

Chicago Cubs: 229-190 (+15.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 125-85 (+13.5 units) on the moneyline in home games. 152-99 (+12.4 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 37-16 UNDER at home vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better.

St Louis Cardinals:  R. Urias (3B) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  M. Shaw (RF) Ten Day IL - Hand. E. Roberts (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. H. Milner (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Appendicitis. P. Maton (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. B. Brown (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Neck. E. Cabrera (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. D. Palencia (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Taillon (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. 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.

“Made us earn it, and we didn’t. On the other side of the baseball, (we) didn’t handle the baseball the way we needed to in order to keep it close. The combination of those things make it tough to actually walk away with the win.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s loss against the Braves in their game on Wednesday. 

“The conditions the last three days are so unique. There’s no place that ever plays like this, not even close.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s win against the Padres in their game on Wednesday. 

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Lars Nootbaar (L) LF

Masyn Winn (R) SS

Nathan Church (L) CF

Blaze Jordan (R) 3B

Jimmy Crooks (L) C

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Ian Happ (S) LF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Michael Conforto (L) DH

Miguel Amaya (R) C

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Batting Average:  Nelson Velázquez (.308)

Hits:  Jordan Walker (91)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (18)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (59)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (11)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (9)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (21)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (1.74)

Batting Average:  Justin Dean (.500)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (94)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (19)

RBI:  Dansby Swanson (57)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (21)

Wins:  Javier Assad (6)

Saves:  Daniel Palencia (3)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Managers:

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)