MLB Preview: Cubs at Cardinals Odds & Tips

Around two weeks ago the Chicago Cubs were in first place in the NL Central. A 10-game losing streak dropped them to last. That’s how chaotic the division has been this season with all five teams above .500 and separated by 5.5 games in the standings.

Games within the division are critical and the MLB betting week closes with a good one between rivals Chicago and the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball. The Cards enter the series after getting swept by division leading Milwaukee scoring just two runs in three games.

Cubs at Cardinals Game Preview

The final game of a 3-game weekend series between NL Central rivals the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals is scheduled to be played on Sunday, May 31, 2026 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. First pitch will be delivered at 7:20 p.m. ET with the game on NBC and Peacock.

It’s been a wacky season for the Cubs who three weeks ago looked like they were going to run away with the NL Central title. After beating Texas on May 8 for their second 10-game winning streak, the Cubs had the best record in MLB at 27-12.

In a long season a lot can happen and the Cubs have proven that fact. Prior to Wednesday’s win over the Pirates they had gone 2-14. They stopped a 10-game losing streak behind an offense that disappeared during the skid. They pounded out 14 hits in the 10-4 win scoring more runs than they had in the previous six games combined.

An injury ravaged rotation forced the Cubs to recall Jordan Wicks from Triple-A last week and his first start didn’t go very well. He was tagged for 9 hits and 8 earned runs in 4.1 innings in a 12-1 loss to Pittsburgh. Wicks had good numbers at Iowa allowing just 7 hits and 1 earned run in 15 innings.

This was supposed to be a season of growth for the Cardinals, but they’ve surprised a lot of folks by staying in the division and wild card race through the end of May. They have hit a rough patch lately and unfortunately it was against teams within the division.

The Cards are playing a NL Central foe for the fourth straight series looking to improve on what they did in the first three. They started the run beating Pittsburgh but proceeded to lose 6 of the next 7 games. The Cards were outscored 13-2 losing all three games to Milwaukee to start the week.

The St. Louis rotation has been consistent with five hurlers making all but on start this season. That doesn’t mean they’ve been good. Starters boast a losing record and 4.13 ERA while opponents hit .262 against them.

Matthew Liberatore is Sunday’s probable looking for a bounce back outing. He’s allowed at least three runs and hasn’t pitched past the fifth inning in his last three outings. Overall Liberatore has a 4.76 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 56.2 frames.

Cubs at Cardinals Predictions

The rivalry between the Cubs and Cards is one of the most bitter and underrated in baseball that dates back to the 1880s. MLB records have the clubs facing each other more than 2,500 times. The offensive struggles for both teams have been real recently making the UNDER on the total of 8.5 on the MLB betting line a smart play.

The Cards have been better than most expected, but their recent setbacks are more in line with what pundits predicted. The experts aren’t always right, but given the home struggles of the Cards, who have been a strong road play in recent years, I like backing the visitors on the moneyline.

Cubs at Cardinals Betting Tips

Though they are just .500 at home, the Cards have been a profitable run line bet at Busch sporting a cover rate of nearly 58 percent.

A beleaguered staff allowed the Cubs to cash the OVER in several games in which the offense sputtered. They cashed the OVER 31 times with a push in their first 56 games.