St Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/22/2026

Game Time: 6:05 pm ET, Saturday, August 22, 2026

Venue:  Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +113, Phillies -136; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +115, Phillies -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +115, Phillies -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

St Louis Cardinals:  66-63 (3rd place, NL Central)

Philadelphia Phillies:  70-58 (2nd place, NL East)

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St Louis Cardinals:  7-3 last 10

Philadelphia Phillies:  8-2 last 10

The Cardinals are entering this series off a win and won their 5-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 66-63 record overall and have a road record of 34-29. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Phillies on Saturday with the series opener still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 24th in the MLB with a .699 OPS. Hunter Dobbins is their starting pitcher on Friday while rookie pitcher Quinn Matthews is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA this season. His team won their last game this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 3 BB with 7 SO on 2 hits through 4 IP against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Phillies are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Miami Marlins 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 70-58 record overall and have a home record of 35-30. 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 19th in the MLB with a .713 OPS. Jesús Luzardo is their starting pitcher on Friday while rookie pitcher Andrew Painter is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 2-8 with a 6.43 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 earned runs, 2 homers, and 3 walks with 2 strikeouts on 6 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Minnesota Twins.

The current betting odds have the Cardinals listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Phillies have looked really good in their games this season with their 70-58 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL East. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 35-30 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 66-63 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 34-29 road record this year. The Phillies are 8-2 in their last 10 games and they have been rolling lately, but the Cardinals have been red hot themselves. The Cardinals are 7-3 in their last 10 games, desperately trying to stay in the NL Wild Card race, and they are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Cardinals are going with Matthews in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA and he has only made 2 career starts in MLB, but he didn’t look bad in either and he is going to be a better option than the other rookie on the mound. The Phillies are going with Painter in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 2-8 with a 6.43 ERA and he has been having a terrible rookie year. His team has had more success with him lately, winning 2 games in a row now with him starting, but that hasn't been a common theme with him. He is coming off another terrible start in which he gave up 5 earned runs and the Cardinals have been putting up a ton of runs in their games lately. The Cardinals are going to bring their best effort, so look for them to take advantage of this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cardinals to win this game. 

Cardinals Phillies Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 22, 2026 (6:05 pm ET start time) is Cardinals 7 Phillies 4.

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St Louis Cardinals: 106-119 (+4.6 units) on the moneyline in road games. 136-129 (+5.4 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 60-54 (+20.4 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%). 17-5 UNDER against NL East opponents.

Philadelphia Phillies: 43-44 (-11.8 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 117-108 (-9 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 53-59 (-15.9 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better. 49-31 UNDER against NL Central opponents.

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

Philadelphia Phillies:  F. Reyes (LF) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. C. Kilian (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. T. Banks (RP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. R. Marchan (C) Ten Day IL - Knee. B. Keller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Rojas (CF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Garcia (RF) Sixty Day IL - Lat.

“You feel really comfortable when the ball’s hit that way. That’s a credit to him, because that hasn’t always been the case. But he’s put in a lot of work, and it’s been a huge improvement.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s win against the Reds in their game on Thursday. 

“Every time you get a good outing it’s obviously huge for the rotation and huge for the club.” - Don Mattingly after his team’s win against the Marlins in their game on Wednesday.

JJ Wetherholt (L) SS

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Joshua Báez (R) LF

Nathan Church (L) CF

Bryan Torres (L) 2B

Blaze Jordan (R) 3B

Jimmy Crooks (L) C

Kyle Schwarber (L) DH

Trea Turner (R) SS

Bryce Harper (L) RF

Luis Arraez (L) 2B

Alec Bohm (R) 1B

Bryson Stott (L) 3B

Brandon Marsh (L) LF

Justin Crawford (L) CF

Garrett Stubbs (L) C

Batting Average:  Jordan Walker (.288)

Hits:  Alec Burleson (141)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (26)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (94)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (17)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (12)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (33)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (2.70)

Batting Average:  Bryan De La Cruz (.333)

Hits:  Trea Turner (125)

Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber (37)

RBI:  Kyle Schwarber (74)

Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott (23)

Wins:  Cristopher Sánchez (16)

Saves:  Jhoan Duran (28)

ERA:  Bryse Wilson (0.00)

Managers:

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)

Philadelphia Phillies: Don Mattingly (Interim)