Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 5/31/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Sunday, May 31, 2026

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Cardinals.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (-128) St. Louis (+106)

The Chicago Cubs (31-26) are headed to Busch Stadium on Sunday where they will go up against the St. Louis Cardinals (29-25). The odds on this game have the Cubs at -128 and the Cardinals are opening at +106. The over/under is 9. The pitchers taking the mound are Jordan Wicks and Matthew Liberatore.

The Cubs have earned 83 two-baggers as a squad and have smacked 64 balls out of the stadium. Chicago has a slugging rate of .387 and have struck out 477 times, while taking a walk on 261 occasions. As a squad, the Chicago Cubs are putting up 4.8 runs per game, which puts them at 7th in MLB. They have tallied 250 runs batted in as well as 459 base knocks so far this season, and their team batting average is at .238. They have notched a total of 272 runs scored while holding a team on-base percentage of .336.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.62 and the pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.24. Cubs pitchers have given up 79 home runs and 253 runs (17th in baseball). Chicago has yielded 453 base knocks (8.1 per 9 innings) and also 235 earned runs. The Cubs hold a team ERA of 4.19 so far this season (17th in baseball), and their staff has struck out 459 hitters. They have walked 175 opposing batters and their FIP comes in at 4.42 as a squad on the year.

The Cubs have dispatched 172 relief pitchers to the mound on the year. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 75 base runners on the campaign and 30.7% of those runners earned a run for their team. The relief pitchers have accumulated 13 holds for the season (30th in the league). Cubs pitchers have entered the game with players on base 52 times as well as having 53 appearances in high leverage situations. They have earned 10 saves for the year and have blown 7 of their 17 save opportunities. The Cubs relievers have a save rate of 58.8% and stepped onto the hill in 33 save situations.

The Chicago Cubs have accumulated 1,516 putouts thus far, as well as 537 assists and 28 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .987 which has them ranked 15th in the majors, and have earned 39 double plays. The Cubs have converted 71.7% of balls hit into play into outs in their 4,548 innings, which ranks them 5th in pro baseball.

Wicks (6-7 win-loss record in his career) sits with a FIP of 5.64 and he has faced 450 opposing batters during his time in the majors. He has surrendered 121 base hits (11.0 hits per 9 innings) with 33 free passes. His earned run average is 5.72 (63 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.554. Wicks has thrown 99 innings and has totaled 84 strikeouts so far in his MLB career.

The Cardinals hold a team SLG% of .383 and they tally 4.35 runs per contest (15th in the league). They have put up 76 two-baggers, while walking 183 times as well as recording 235 runs. St. Louis is sitting with 60 HRs on the season as well as 228 RBIs. They have been rung up on 438 instances (23rd in the league) and have a total of 433 base knocks. The St. Louis Cardinals have an OBP of .318 and a batting average of .238 for the season.

The St. Louis pitching staff have given up 245 runs for the season and come in with a team ERA of 4.22 (228 earned runs allowed). They have surrendered 58 long balls and they yield 4.54 runs per 9 innings (18th in baseball). The Cardinals hold a team WHIP of 1.370 with a FIP of 4.29 as a unit this season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 7.70 (414 strikeouts vs 198 free passes). They are sitting at 24th in MLB as a staff in total hits surrendered with 468.

St. Louis relievers have an inherited score percentage of 35.3% of 85 inherited base runners. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 66 times in high leverage situations and also on 60 occasions with base runners. Sitting with 72 save situations, the Cardinals have tallied 43 holds and also 10 blown saves. They are ranked 16th in MLB with a save rate of 63.0%, and they have sent 190 relief pitchers onto the field over the course of the season.

Out of their 4,380 innings on the diamond, the Cardinals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 69.4% (22nd in the majors). The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten 54 double plays and have earned a fielding percentage of .987 (14th in the majors). The Cardinals have accrued 517 assists, 26 errors and have accumulated 1,460 putouts for the season.

In his career, Liberatore has conceded 414 base hits while he has earned 325 K's in 390 frames. He has given up a total of 202 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.402 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.6. His K/BB ratio is 2.44 and he has faced 1,690 opposing batters during his MLB career. Liberatore (18-27 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a 4.66 ERA and has given up 9.5 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago (-128)

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