The Los Angeles Dodgers host the St. Louis Cardinals on September 3, 2026. First pitch from UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on CARD.
The Dodgers are favored by -313 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Cardinals are +248 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 8 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Cardinals vs Dodgers prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Cardinals vs Dodgers Prediction
- Cardinals vs Dodgers Pick: Cardinals ML +248, 0.5u | Bet to +200
My Cardinals vs Dodgers best bet is on St. Louis to win outright. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Cardinals vs Dodgers Odds
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 +113 | 8 -102o / -118u | +248 |
| Dodgers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -136 | 8 -102o / -118u | -313 |
- Cardinals vs Dodgers moneyline: Cardinals +248, Dodgers -313
- Cardinals vs Dodgers over/under: 8 (-102o / -118u)
- Cardinals vs Dodgers spread: Dodgers -1.5 (-136), Cardinals +1.5 (+113)
Cardinals vs Dodgers Probable Pitchers
| Quinn Mathews (LHP, STL) | Stat | Tarik Skubal (LHP, LAD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | W-L | 8-7 |
| 0.5 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 4.0 |
| 5.03/3.33 | ERA / xERA | 2.84/2.95 |
| 3.10/4.12 | FIP / xFIP | 2.53/2.62 |
| 13.5% | K-BB% | 26.7% |
| 39.0% | GB% | 42.9% |
| .373 | BABIP | .283 |
| 97 | Stuff+ | 118 |
| 104 | Location+ | 106 |
Cardinals vs Dodgers MLB Betting Preview
It’s no secret or debate that a healthy Tarik Skubal is a top-three pitcher in this league. His 2.84 ERA aligns with estimators, none of which reach three.
It’s short and simple.
Quinn Mathews is an interesting young arm, but not nearly in the class of a Tarik Skubal.
Through four starts, he’s registered a competent 13.5 K-BB%, allowing just a single barrel with a 33.3 HardHit%.
We don’t know if any of this is sustainable yet, and it’s a bit of a concern that his pitch modeling is the lower range of his indicators, with a 4.43 Bot ERA and 99 Pitching+. By either measure, the command has been a bit better than the stuff.
If we go by performance, his indicators have sat around four, with contact-inclusive ones superior to contact-neutral measurements. If we abide by projections, it’s closer to averaging four and a third runs per nine.
It’s about a run and a half starting pitching edge for the Dodgers, who also project for a 13 FRV edge and a bullpen edge that widens by BARTOLO ratings, ranking the Dodgers best in the league (3.54 wFIP) and the Cardinals 17th (3.95 wFIP), over last 30 day estimators, where the Dodgers have the Cardinals by a little more than one-third of a run in the last 30 days.
I’ve held offenses for last for a reason.
It’s no question it’s the weaker Dodgers split. Even with Will Smith back, their projected lineup averages just a 103 wRC+ and .149 ISO vs LHP, though they’ve been slumping overall as well, with the same lineup averaging just a 92 wRC+ over the last 30 days.
The Cardinals are banged up. Being without their two elite glove middle infielders drops them from one of the best defenses in the league to a net negative in FRV.
However, it’s an interesting lineup against LHP. Some of that is small sample size and projections. Still, no projected right-handed Cardinal with more than 10 plate appearances against southpaws this year sits below a 120 wRC+ against them.
Even looking at BARTOLO’s projected wRC+ against LHP, it’s five points higher than the Dodgers.
It would probably be foolish to take these offensive numbers at face value. I don’t think anyone would take the St Louis lineup over the Dodgers' one here, but there’s a spark, and with a number this high, a spark may be enough.
You have a young pitcher with some talent (45 Future Value via Fangraphs with a 65-grade changeup right now) and an offense that might be a little better than they’re being credited for.
I don’t expect the Cardinals to win more than one-third of the time here, but this line is too large. Novig is currently offering 28% (+257), which would be the best line.
Pick: Cardinals ML +248, 0.5u | Bet to +200
