St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Picks and Prediction for Thursday, September 3, 2026

The St. Louis Cardinals visit the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, with the first pitch at 10:10 PM ET, televised on MLB.TV. St. Louis is 69-70, third in the NL Central and four games behind the final NL Wild Card position. The Cardinals are 3-2 over their last five games after beating Los Angeles 13-8 on Tuesday. The Dodgers are 82-56, first in the NL West with a 9.5-game division lead, but are 2-3 over their last five after Tuesday’s loss. St. Louis leads the series 1-0 heading into Wednesday’s game. Cash in a big winner with our free MLB picks.

St. Louis Cardinals Chase Another Road Win

St. Louis has scored 623 runs while batting .241 with a .316 on-base percentage and .384 slugging percentage. Jordan Walker leads the offense with a .288 average, 28 home runs, 152 hits and 99 RBI. Alec Burleson is batting .285 with 21 home runs and a team-high 100 RBI. The Cardinals scored 13 runs in Tuesday’s series opener after producing 22 runs over their previous four games, showing the lineup can deliver power when Walker and Burleson are producing together.

The Cardinals rank 19th in MLB pitching with a 4.24 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. Opponents are batting .254 against St. Louis, which has allowed 633 runs against 623 scored for a minus-10 run differential. St. Louis has a solid 35-32 road record, although its 3-7 mark across the last 10 games shows the recent results have been uneven. The Cardinals now face the NL West leader after scoring eight of Tuesday’s 13 runs during the final three innings.

Injuries: Masyn Winn, Everson Pereira, Andre Pallante, JJ Wetherholt and Peter Strzelecki are on the injured list.

Los Angeles Dodgers Rely on Strong Home Record

Los Angeles ranks second in MLB with a .257 batting average and has scored 678 runs with 169 home runs. Shohei Ohtani is batting .281 with 30 home runs, 80 RBI and a .911 OPS. Freddie Freeman leads the Dodgers with a .303 average and 153 hits, while Andy Pages has added a .272 average, 21 home runs and 80 RBI. Max Muncy provides another power threat with 26 home runs and 68 RBI.

The Dodgers have also been one of MLB’s strongest pitching clubs, ranking fifth with a 3.69 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Los Angeles has held opposing hitters to a .218 average and recorded 73 quality starts. The Dodgers are 40-27 at home and 64-39 in night games. Los Angeles has lost three of its last five, but the pitching staff allowed two runs or fewer in four straight games before St. Louis broke through for 13 runs Tuesday.

Injuries: Blake Treinen, Gavin Stone, Will Klein, Bobby Miller and Ben Casparius are on the injured list.

Pitching Matchup

St. Louis Cardinals - Quinn Mathews

Quinn Mathews is 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA and 1.58 WHIP through 19.2 innings. The left-hander has allowed 23 hits, eight walks and one home run while recording 20 strikeouts. Mathews has worked a limited major-league sample, and his WHIP reflects the number of baserunners allowed so far. He has averaged slightly more than one strikeout per inning.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Tarik Skubal

Tarik Skubal is 8-7 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 126.2 innings. The left-hander has allowed 98 hits, 21 walks, and 12 home runs while striking out 153. Skubal has issued only 1.49 walks per nine innings and averages 10.87 strikeouts per nine, with his 0.94 WHIP highlighting how few baserunners have reached against him this season.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Game Pick

• Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles holds clear advantages in the starting matchup and season numbers despite Tuesday’s 13-8 loss. Tarik Skubal owns a 2.84 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, while Quinn Mathews has posted a 5.03 ERA and 1.58 WHIP through 19.2 innings. The Dodgers are 40-27 at home, compared with St. Louis at 35-32 on the road. Los Angeles also has the better team ERA, batting average and run production. With Skubal starting at Dodger Stadium, the pick is Los Angeles to win Thursday night.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Over/Under Pick

• Under

Skubal’s season numbers create a strong case for fewer runs after St. Louis scored 13 in Tuesday’s opener. The Dodgers left-hander has a 2.84 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 153 strikeouts through 126.2 innings. Los Angeles also owns a 3.69 team ERA and has held opponents to a .218 average. Before Tuesday, Dodgers pitching had allowed only five runs across four games. St. Louis ranks 19th in batting average at .241. With Skubal leading the matchup, the under is the pick for Thursday night.