St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/14/2026

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Friday, August 14, 2026

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  Apple TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +153, Cubs -186; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +155, Cubs -185; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Cardinals +155, Cubs -190; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

St Louis Cardinals:  61-60 (3rd place, NL Central)

Chicago Cubs:  71-51 (2nd place, NL Central)

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St Louis Cardinals:  7-3 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  8-2 last 10

The Cardinals are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 61-60 record overall and have a road record of 29-26. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .695 OPS. Kyle Leahy was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Matthew Liberatore is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-9 with a 5.15 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 5 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 3 SO on 9 hits through 5 IP against the Colorado Rockies.

The Cubs are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Washington Nationals 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 71-51 record overall and have a home record of 35-24. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Cardinals on Friday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .761 OPS. Kevin Gausman was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Clay Holmes is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-5 with a 2.86 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 1 strikeout on 6 hits through 4 innings pitched against the Kansas City Royals.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked great in their games this season with their 71-51 record overall which has them right near the top of the NL Central. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 35-24 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have looked good in their games this season with their 61-60 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They have been a good road team too with their 29-26 road record this year. The Cardinals are 7-3 in their last 10 games and they have been rolling lately, but this hasn't been the case for most of the year. They have been really up and down in the Wild Card race and they have one of the worst offenses in MLB too. The Cubs have been rolling themselves lately, now 8-2 in their last 10 games, and they do have one of the best offenses in the league too. The Cubs are going with Holmes in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 4-5 with a 2.85 ERA and even though he wasn't great in his Cubs debut, he will be looking to bounce back with a better start. He gave up 4 earned runs in his last start and his team has lost 3 games in a row now with him starting, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this season and the Cubs still have the better pitching matchup here. The Cardinals are going with Liberatore in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 5-9 with a 5.15 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs all year. He just gave up 5 earned runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him and the team has lost 3 of their last 4 games with him starting too. The Cardinals are hot right now, but the Cubs are hotter with the stronger offense, so look for the Cubs to take advantage of this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Cardinals Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, August 14, 2026 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Cubs 7 Cardinals 4.

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St Louis Cardinals: 15-35 (-8.8 units) on the moneyline as a road underdog of +150 or more. 67-73 (-5.2 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 153-166 (-11 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 10-4 OVER on the road revenging a loss vs opponent as a home favorite.

Chicago Cubs: 251-202 (+23.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 134-92 (+14.1 units) on the moneyline in home games. 165-106 (+15.7 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 24-10 OVER against left-handed starters.

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

Chicago Cubs:  B. Brown (RP) Sixty Day IL - Neck. G. Hollowell (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. P. Maton (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. M. Shaw (RF) Ten Day IL - Hand. H. Milner (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Appendicitis. 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.

“Sánchez and Wheeler, those are two playoff-caliber arms. Those are the guys you’re going to face when it matters. So, what I love about a series like this is, you were playing against a team that’s built to make a deep run into the playoffs -- and we played like one, too.” - Oliver Marmol after his team’s win against the Phillies in their game on Wednesday. 

“It’s a credit to how he works every single day and is just relentless with his search to be himself and to be the best version of himself. He will never give you an inch on that.” - Craig Counsell on Alex Bregman after his team’s win against the Nationals in their game on Wednesday. 

JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B

Iván Herrera (R) DH

Alec Burleson (L) 1B

Jordan Walker (R) RF

Nathan Church (L) CF

Masyn Winn (R) SS

César Prieto (L) 3B

José Fermín (R) LF

Jimmy Crooks (L) C

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Seiya Suzuki (R) RF

Alex Bregman (R) DH

Carson Kelly (R) C

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Tyrone Taylor (R) LF

Pedro Ramírez (S) 3B

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Batting Average:  Everson Pereira (.333)

Hits:  Alec Burleson (131)

Home Runs:  Jordan Walker (23)

RBI:  Jordan Walker (84)

Stolen Bases:  Jordan Walker (16)

Wins:  Andre Pallante (12)

Saves:  Riley O'Brien (30)

ERA:  Ryan Fernandez (2.70)

Batting Average:  Justin Dean (.375)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (130)

Home Runs:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (27)

RBI:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (73)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (30)

Wins:  Colin Rea (8)

Saves:  Jacob Webb (8)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Managers:

St Louis Cardinals: Oliver Marmol (5th season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)