Philadelphia Phillies vs St Louis Cardinals Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/12/2026

Game Time: 2:15 pm ET, Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Venue:  Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to Watch:  ESPN Unlimited, MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies -157, Cardinals +130; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies -157, Cardinals +130; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Phillies -165, Cardinals +135; Over/Under:  8 runs

Philadelphia Phillies:  64-56 (2nd place, NL East)

St Louis Cardinals:  59-60 (3rd place, NL Central)

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Philadelphia Phillies:  7-3 last 10

St Louis Cardinals:  5-5 last 10

The Phillies are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 64-56 record overall and have a road record of 32-26. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Cardinals on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Phillies won the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 22nd in the MLB with a .709 OPS. Cristopher Sánchez is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Zack Wheeler is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 10-3 with a 2.69 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 4 ER, 1 HR, and 5 BB with 6 SO on 7 hits through 5.1 IP against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cardinals are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Colorado Rockies 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 59-60 record overall and have a home record of 30-34. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Phillies 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. Andre Pallante is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Kyle Leahy is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 8-4 with a 3.45 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, 0 homers, and 0 walks with 8 strikeouts on 8 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Colorado Rockies.

The current betting odds have the Phillies listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Phillies have looked good in their games this season with their 64-56 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL East. They have been a good road team too with their 32-26 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 59-60 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They haven't looked great in their own ballpark though with their 30-34 home record this season. The Cardinals had a nice start to the season and managed to stay above .500 for a lot of the year, but now they are 5-5 in their last 10 games and haven't looked nearly as good lately. The Phillies have been rolling though, now 7-3 in their last 10 games, and they are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Phillies are going with Wheeler in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 10-3 with a 2.69 ERA and he hasn't been giving up many runs all year. The team has had some trouble with him lately, losing 3 of their last 4 games with him starting, but he will be looking to bounce back with a better start. He did give up 4 earned runs in his last start too, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this year. The Cardinals are going with Leahy in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 8-4 with a 3.45 ERA and the team has been having a lot of success with him. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start too, but lately the team has had more trouble with him, losing 3 of their last 4 games with him starting. Wheeler has been a stud for the Phillies all year and will make it a point to bounce back with a better start. The offense has also looked a lot better for the Phillies lately, so look for the Phillies to take advantage of this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Phillies to win this game. 

Phillies Cardinals Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 12, 2026 (2:15 pm ET start time) is Phillies 5 Cardinals 2.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 43-42 (-8.8 units) on the moneyline against NL Central opponents. 115-109 (-12.7 units) on the moneyline in road games. 93-89 (-19 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 29-18 UNDER when the money line is -100 to -150.

St Louis Cardinals: 116-123 (+23.3 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 or higher. 104-111 (+7 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 61-60 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better. 38-18 UNDER when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Philadelphia Phillies:  C. Kilian (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Oblique. A. Nola (SP) Day To Day - Knee. 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.

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

“It’s three in a row that he’s thrown the ball well since he came back [from the Minors], so that’s obviously a positive for us. That was something that the team needed right there, and for him to come through in that spot is really good for him and good for our club.” - Don Mattingly after his team’s win against the Cardinals in their game on Monday. 

“That’s a good group across the way. Those guys are built to win now and compete for a pretty good run. They were short in their bullpen as far as usage coming into this series. We knew that. You have to be able to capitalize in certain situations. We did. But [we were] a hit short from being able to take the lead.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s loss against the Phillies in their game on Monday. 

Kyle Schwarber (L) 1B

Bryson Stott (L) 3B

Bryce Harper (L) DH

Luis Arraez (L) 2B

Brandon Marsh (L) LF

Derek Hill (R) RF

Justin Crawford (L) CF

Edmundo Sosa (R) SS

Garrett Stubbs (L) C

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Nathan Church (L) CF

Masyn Winn (R) SS

José Fermín (R) LF

Jimmy Crooks (L) C

César Prieto (L) 3B

Batting Average:  Bryan De La Cruz (.346)

Hits:  Trea Turner (119)

Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber (35)

RBI:  Bryce Harper (71)

Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott (22)

Wins:  Cristopher Sánchez (15)

Saves:  Jhoan Duran (25)

ERA:  Bryse Wilson (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jordan Walker (.285)

Hits:  Jordan Walker (128)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (23)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (83)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (14)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (12)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (29)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (2.70)

Managers:

Philadelphia Phillies: Don Mattingly (Interim)

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)