Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/28/2026

Game Time: 7:45 pm ET, Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Venue:  Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to Watch:  MLB TV, TBS

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -115, Cardinals -105; Over/Under:  9 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -115, Cardinals -105; Over/Under:  9 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cubs -115, Cardinals -105; Over/Under:  9 runs

Chicago Cubs:  59-46 (2nd place, NL Central)

St Louis Cardinals:  53-52 (4th place, NL Central)

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Chicago Cubs:  6-4 last 10

St Louis Cardinals:  3-7 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 59-46 record overall and have a road record of 29-24. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Cardinals on Tuesday with the series opener still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 4th in the MLB with a .753 OPS. David Peterson is their starting pitcher on Monday while Colin Rea is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 7-7 with a 4.85 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 4 ER, 2 HR, and 1 BB with 5 SO on 6 hits through 5 IP against the Detroit Tigers.

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 53-52 record overall and have a home record of 27-29. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .697 OPS. Matthew Liberatore is their starting pitcher on Monday while Michael McGreevy is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 4-8 with a 3.07 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 1 homer, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts on 7 hits through 6.1 innings pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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 53-52 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 27-29 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 59-46 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 29-24 road record this year. The Cubs are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they have looked a lot better lately than the Cardinals who are 3-7 in their last 10 games, but the Cubs haven't had good pitching all season and that issue is going to come up here. The Cubs are going with Rea in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 7-7 with a 4.85 ERA and he has been giving up quite a few runs this season. He gave up 4 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him this year and the team hasn't had a ton of success lately with him either, losing 2 games in a row now with him starting. The Cardinals are going with McGreevy in this one and he has looked good this year. He is 4-8 with a 3.07 ERA and he hasn't been giving up a lot of runs all season. He did give up 4 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him and the team has been having more success with him lately, winning 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Cardinals have been starting to slump lately, but they are going to be desperate to get themselves back on track and this is a pitching matchup that they can take advantage of. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cardinals to win this game. 

Cubs Cardinals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, July 28, 2026 (7:45 pm ET start time) is Cardinals 7 Cubs 5.

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Chicago Cubs: 239-198 (+15.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 191-143 (+31.1 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 134-107 (+10.3 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: 147-161 (-14 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 139-157 (-10.8 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better. 66-70 (-3.1 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 18-7 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:  L. Nootbaar (LF) Day To Day - Illness. J. Romero (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Appendix. M. Rajcic (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Urias (3B) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“He put some balls in the middle of the plate today, and they took some really good swings on them. We need better than that.” - Craig Counsell after his team’s loss against the Pirates in their game on Sunday. 

“I think he got better as the game went on. So left some stuff up early, but started dialing in and got better as the game went on. But overall, yes, he slows it down enough to not let those type of things speed him up.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s loss against the Reds in their game on Sunday.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Seiya Suzuki (R) DH

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Ian Happ (S) LF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Michael Conforto (L) RF

Carson Kelly (R) C

Pedro Ramírez (S) 3B

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Masyn Winn (R) SS

José Fermín (R) CF

Nelson Velázquez (R) LF

Blaze Jordan (R) 3B

Pedro Pagés (R) C

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 (.289)

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:  Scott Blewett (0.00)

Managers:

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)