Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/29/2026

Game Time: 7:45 pm ET, Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Venue:  Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -115, Cardinals -105; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -115, Cardinals -105; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -115, Cardinals -105; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Chicago Cubs:  60-46 (2nd place, NL Central)

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

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Chicago Cubs:  6-4 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 60-46 record overall and have a road record of 30-24. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Cardinals on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Cubs won the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .754 OPS. Colin Rea is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Matthew Boyd is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 6-1 with a 3.81 ERA this season. His team won their last 7 straight 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 4 SO on 7 hits through 7 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 53-53 record overall and have a home record of 27-30. This is the 3rd game of a 4-game series with the Cubs on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Cardinals lost the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .696 OPS. Michael McGreevy is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Dustin May is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 5-7 with a 4.59 ERA this season. His team lost their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 8 strikeouts on 7 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Cincinnati Reds.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 53-53 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 27-30 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 60-46 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 30-24 road record this year. The Cardinals are 2-8 in their last 10 games and they have looked terrible lately with their offense not producing much. The Cubs have been getting hot again lately, now 6-4 in their last 10 games with one of the best offenses in the league too, and they are going to have the better pitching matchup in this one. The Cubs are going with Boyd in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 6-1 with a 3.81 ERA and the team has been having a ton of success with him. He is coming off another great start giving up just 1 earned run which has been a common theme for him, and the team has won 7 games in a row now with him starting too. The Cardinals are going with May in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 5-7 with a 4.59 ERA and he has been giving up quite a few runs in his starts. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year and the team hasn't had much success with him lately either, losing 4 games in a row now with him starting. All signs point to the Cubs here as they are starting to surge while the Cardinals have been in a bad slump. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Cubs Cardinals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, July 29, 2026 (7:45 pm ET start time) is Cubs 8 Cardinals 3.

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Chicago Cubs: 240-198 (+16.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 191-143 (+31.1 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 135-107 (+11.3 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: 213-217 (-3.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 139-158 (-11.8 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 66-71 (-4.1 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 18-8 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.

“Look, I think we have shown that we can play at a high level. The best thing about a Major League season is you can’t fake your record, man, over 162 games. It’s too many games. And so, I feel like the teams that get to October, they’ve earned it. And we’ve got a long way to go.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s win against the Cardinals in their game on Monday. 

“At this level, especially if you look at the Cubs, they’re first or second in the league against left-handed starters. They’ve done a real nice job, and you’re going to have to get ahead of them and put yourself in favorable counts in order to get what you want. That was the biggest difference for Libby was just falling behind and being in bad counts.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s loss against the Cubs in their game on Monday. 

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Carson Kelly (R) DH

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Ian Happ (S) LF

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Miguel Amaya (R) C

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Iván Herrera (R) C

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Masyn Winn (R) SS

Nelson Velázquez (R) DH

José Fermín (R) CF

Lars Nootbaar (L) LF

Blaze Jordan (R) 3B

Batting Average:  James Triantos (1.000)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (114)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (23)

RBI:  Dansby Swanson (61)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (26)

Wins:  Colin Rea (7)

Saves:  Jacob Webb (5)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Batting Average:  Alec Burleson (.286)

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)