St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/04/2026

Game Time: 8:08 pm ET, Saturday, July 4, 2026

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV, FOX

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +135, Cubs -163; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +135, Cubs -165; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +135, Cubs -160; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

St Louis Cardinals:  45-39 (3rd place, NL Central)

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

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Amedeus Mastrangelo is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 13-3 MLB RUN for +$9,300 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

St Louis Cardinals:  5-5 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  9-1 last 10

The Cardinals are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Atlanta Braves 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 45-39 record overall and have a road record of 22-18. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 15th in the MLB with a .716 OPS. Andre Pallante is their starting pitcher on Friday while Kyle Leahy is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 6-4 with a 4.09 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 appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 3 BB with 5 SO on 2 hits through 5 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 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Cardinals on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .754 OPS. David Peterson is their starting pitcher on Friday while Shota Imanaga is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 5-6 with a 4.30 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 0 walks with 4 strikeouts on 9 hits through 6.1 innings pitched against the San Diego Padres.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 45-39 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 22-18 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 Cardinals are 5-5 in their last 10 games and they haven't looked great lately while the Cubs have been rolling, now 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Cubs are going with Imanaga in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 5-6 with a 4.30 ERA, but lately he has looked a lot better and the team has been having more success with him too. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start which is starting to become a common theme for him again and the team has won 3 games in a row now too with him starting. The Cardinals are going with Leahy in this one and he hasn't looked great this season either. He is 6-4 with a 4.09 ERA and he has looked better lately, but the team hasn't had a ton of success with him lately. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games with him starting and even though he only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, that hasn't been a common theme for him. The Cubs have been getting hot again over the last week and they can take advantage of this pitching matchup with one of the best offenses in the league right now. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Cardinals Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, July 4, 2026 (8:08 pm ET start time) is Cubs 8 Cardinals 4.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this St Louis Cardinals Chicago Cubs prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

St Louis Cardinals: 107-111 (+22.8 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 61-50 (+10.6 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 51-47 (+14.8 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%). 29-13 UNDER vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse.

Chicago Cubs: 97-86 (-8.8 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 65-63 (-4.1 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 37-24 UNDER at home against division opponents.

St Louis Cardinals:  D. May (SP) Day To Day - Ankle. 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.

"We have [been looking for some slugging. A couple guys came through. Walker at home, he's got 1,000 people here, being able to hit a homer there in the first.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s win against the Braves in their game on Thursday.

“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 (93)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (19)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (63)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (11)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (9)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (21)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (1.50)

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)