The St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs on August 8, 2025. First pitch from Busch Stadium is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. EDT; the game will be broadcast on MARQ.
The Cubs head to St. Louis on Friday to begin a rivalry series. Chicago enters as a -155 favorite with an 8-run total.
Find my MLB betting preview and Cubs vs Cardinals prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, betting trends, injury reports and more.
My Cubs vs Cardinals Prediction
- Cubs vs Cardinals picks: Cubs -1.5 (+115, play to -115)
My Cubs vs Cardinals best bet is on the Cubs to cover the spread (-1.5). Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Cubs vs Cardinals Odds
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +115 | 8 -120o / 100u | -155 |
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -140 | 8 -120o / 100u | +125 |
Cubs vs Cardinals Projected Starting Pitchers
| LHP Matthew Boyd (CHC) | Stat | RHP Michael McGreevy (STL) |
|---|---|---|
| 11-4 | W-L | 3-2 |
| 3.2 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.8 |
| 2.34 / 3.29 | ERA / xERA | 5.08 / 4.48 |
| 3.18 / 3.64 | FIP / xFIP | 3.55 / 4.28 |
| 1.03 | WHIP | 1.23 |
| 4.1 | K-BB% | 3.8 |
| 39 | GB% | 40 |
| 95 | Stuff+ | 90 |
| 108 | Location+ | 111 |
Sean Paul’s Cubs vs Cardinals Preview
Chicago Cubs Betting Preview: Waiting for Their Best Batters To Bounce Back
The Cubs are hanging onto their brief chances to win the NL Central for dear life. While they won just five of their last ten games, the Brewers won nine of ten to extend their division lead to four games.
Matthew Boyd will be a huge reason why the Cubs have a chance to win the division. The veteran hurler was the best value signing of the offseason, as he boasts a dazzling 2.34 ERA and earned All-Star honors. He also has a 3.29 xERA and 3.18 FIP, so I don't see much regression coming.
He also excels at controlling what he can in the walk and home run departments. Boyd ranks 12th in MLB with a 0.76 HR/9 and eighth with a 2.00 BB/9. The Cardinals faced Boyd twice this year and didn't score a single run in 12 innings. He has dominated them.
Chicago's recent inconsistent play correlates with some of its big bats struggling. The Cubs rank 16th in MLB with 101 wRC+ in their last 18 games. That's a far cry from where they sat for most of the first half, ranking near the top of the wRC+ leaderboard for the year.
Three of the best hitters in the NL from March to June were Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, and Kyle Tucker.
The All-Star break did no favors for Tucker, as he's hitting .212 since. Busch and Suzuki are hitting .172 and .153, respectively, in that time.
It's honestly fairly impressive that Chicago is nearly in the middle of the pack with its three best hitters struggling. I doubt that'll last, which makes backing Chicago a good option.
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview: Lacking Power and Pitching Depth
St. Louis will have the disadvantage on the mound, with Michael McGreevy taking the hill. He's bounced around from AAA to the bigs and has a 5.08 ERA in seven big league outings this year.
McGreevy is more of a command-over-stuff pitcher. His Stuff+ number sits at a below-average 90, but he ranks in the 99th percentile in walk rate.
Throwing strikes is a nice attribute, but ranking in the third percentile in K rate, 14th in whiff rate, and 26th in chase rate isn't good enough to contain an offense like the Cubs.
I talked about the Cubs "disappointing" offense of late, but it's still light years better than the Cardinals, who are the second-worst in the sport during the same span. They did steal two of three games from the Dodgers, but I'd take the Cubs over the Dodgers as currently constructed.
The Cardinals are very weak in the power department. After the All-Star break, they are tied with the Reds for the fewest homers in MLB. They also have a .131 ISO, so even the extra base hits aren't happening.
Despite the struggles, St. Louis has four hitters with a wRC+ better than 100. Willson Contreras leads the way with a 162 wRC+, with Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker trailing behind.
Plus, the Cardinals bullpen is in disarray following the trade deadline. They dealt their two best arms in Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton, so St. Louis could be in trouble if McGreevy doesn't pitch well.
Cubs vs Cardinals Prediction, Betting Analysis
The Cubs already trounced the Cardinals twice with Boyd pitching. Why not make it three?
I think he just has their number, as he can contain Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan. There isn't a ton of help in the Cardinals offense without that pair contributing atop the lineup.
Plus, McGreevy is an innings-eater, at best. And he doesn't get super deep into games.
I think he'll struggle versus the Cubs, who should get their offense on track and cash a plus money bet at -1.5
Pick: Cubs -1.5 (+115, play to -115)
Moneyline
I like the Cubs if the line drops to -145 or better. There's more value there.
Run Line (Spread)
I like the Cubs to -115
Over/Under
I have no play on the total.
