St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Picks and Prediction for Friday, August 14, 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals travel to Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, to face the Chicago Cubs on Friday, August 14, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET, with the game televised on Apple TV. St. Louis enters the matchup at 61-60 overall and 29-26 on the road, while Chicago is 71-50 overall and 35-24 at home. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Before making your wager, check out our free MLB picks for more baseball predictions and analysis.

Starting Pitchers

St. Louis will start Matthew Liberatore, who is 5-9 with a 5.15 ERA and 1.52 WHIP through 113.2 innings. Liberatore has allowed 130 hits and 43 walks while striking out 110 and surrendering 20 home runs. Chicago counters with Clay Holmes, who owns a 4-5 record with a 2.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 56.2 innings. Holmes has allowed 46 hits, 20 walks and only four home runs while recording 46 strikeouts. The starting pitching numbers give Chicago a considerable advantage, particularly in ERA, WHIP and limiting home runs.

Cardinals Look to Carry Momentum Into Chicago

St. Louis enters Friday having won three of its last five games, including consecutive victories over Philadelphia. The Cardinals won those two games by scores of 7-1 and 2-0 after dropping the series opener 6-5. They also split their final two games against Colorado, winning 7-4 after an 8-6 loss. St. Louis has remained competitive away from home with a 29-26 road record.

The Cardinals are batting .241 as a team with a .316 on-base percentage and .379 slugging percentage. They have scored 529 runs while producing 974 hits and 122 home runs. The pitching staff owns a 4.07 ERA and 1.34 WHIP while allowing opponents to bat .253.

St. Louis has a respectable overall pitching ERA, but Friday's matchup creates some concerns because of the difference between its season pitching numbers and Chicago's offensive production. The Cardinals have also been substantially less productive offensively than the Cubs, entering the game with 105 fewer runs and 33 fewer home runs.

Cubs Bring a Hot Offense Back to Wrigley Field

Chicago has won four of its last five games and enters this matchup riding a three-game winning streak. The Cubs scored 30 runs during victories over Washington and Kansas City in their last three games, winning 12-6, 8-6 and 10-2. Their only loss over the five-game stretch was a 6-3 defeat at Kansas City. Chicago has also performed well at Wrigley Field this season with a 35-24 home record.

The Cubs are hitting .250 with a strong .340 on-base percentage and .421 slugging percentage. Chicago has accumulated 1,044 hits, 155 home runs and 634 runs. On the pitching side, the Cubs own a 4.08 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while holding opposing hitters to a .245 batting average.

Chicago's offensive advantage is difficult to ignore. The Cubs lead St. Louis in batting average, runs, hits, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Combine that production with the stronger starting pitching numbers in Friday's matchup, and Chicago has multiple paths to controlling this game.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Picks and Prediction

Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline

Chicago is the preferred side in this NL Central matchup. The Cubs enter playing better baseball, have won four of five and own a 35-24 home record. Their season-long offensive numbers are also superior across virtually every major category provided. Most importantly, Chicago has the better starting pitching numbers for Friday. With a significant advantage in ERA and WHIP from the starting matchup, the Cubs are the play at home.

Pick: Under 9.0

With no confirmed total available at the time of writing, take the Under if the total is set at 9.0 or higher. Chicago's starter enters with a 2.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, while St. Louis has scored considerably fewer runs than the Cubs this season. The Cardinals' staff has also posted a respectable 4.07 ERA. Chicago's recent offensive surge adds some risk, so this becomes much less attractive below nine runs. At 9.0 or better, the Under offers enough room to make the total worth playing.