St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 8/14/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Friday, August 14, 2026

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (+126) Chicago (-152)

Wrigley Field is where the Chicago Cubs (71-50) will try to beat the St. Louis Cardinals (61-60) on Friday. The line on this contest has St. Louis at +126 while Chicago is coming in at -152. The over/under is set at 8.5. The pitchers taking the mound are Matthew Liberatore and Clay Holmes.

The Cardinals have accrued 171 doubles as a team and have hit 122 balls out of the stadium. St. Louis is slugging .379 and have been called out on strikes 933 times, while drawing a walk on 393 occasions. As a team, the St. Louis Cardinals are knocking in 4.4 runs per game, which ranks them 19th in the league. They have earned 516 RBI's as well as 974 hits on the season, and their team batting average sits at .241. They have accumulated 529 runs scored while having a team on-base percentage of .316.

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The Cardinals have compiled a team earned run average of 4.07 this year (13th in the league), and the staff has struck out 923 hitters. Cardinals pitchers have given up 118 home runs in addition to 530 runs in total (14th in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 412 opposing batters and their FIP sits at 4.10 as a squad for the season. St. Louis has relinquished 1,036 base hits (8.6 per 9 innings) and also 489 earned runs. They have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.24 and their pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.34.

The Cardinals have dispatched 405 relief pitchers to the hill this year. The relievers have inherited 189 base runners this season with 36.0% of those runners earned a run for their team. The relief pitchers are sitting with 79 holds on the season (5th in baseball). Cardinals relief pitchers have stepped onto the hill with runners on base 128 times and also have had 152 appearances in high leverage situations. They have compiled 35 saves for the year and have blown 22 of 57 save opportunities. The Cardinals relievers have earned a save rate of 61.4% and have entered the game in 140 save situations.

The St. Louis Cardinals have notched a total of 3,241 putouts so far this season, in addition to 1,139 assists and 53 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .988 which is 5th in pro baseball, and they have turned 120 double plays. The Cardinals have converted 69.4% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 9,723 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 20th in the majors.

Liberatore has taken the mound for 447 innings and has accumulated 382 punch outs during his pro baseball career. His earned run average is 4.77 (237 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.411. He has surrendered 477 hits (9.6 hits per 9 innings) and has had 154 free passes. Liberatore (21-33 win-loss mark in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 4.70 and he has faced 1,942 hitters in the majors.

The Chicago Cubs are sitting with a team on-base percentage of .340 in addition to a batting average of .250 so far this season. They have been called out on strikes on 1,041 instances (9th in baseball) and have a total of 1,044 base hits. Chicago has accounted for 155 home runs this season and 597 RBIs. The Cubs hold a team slugging % of .421 and they have an average of 5.24 runs per contest (2nd in MLB). They have notched 205 two-baggers, while taking a walk 519 times as well as scoring 634 runs.

The Chicago pitching staff have given up 519 runs on the campaign while holding an ERA of 4.08 (490 earned runs allowed). They have surrendered 181 home runs and they relinquish 4.32 runs per 9 innings (10th in the league). The Cubs are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.256 with a FIP of 4.65 as a squad this year. Their K/BB ratio is 7.70 (929 strikeouts vs 357 walks). They rank 20th in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 1,001.

Chicago bullpen pitchers have an inherited score rate of 30.5% out of their 167 inherited base runners. Their relief pitchers have come in 119 times in high leverage situations and also on 119 occasions with base runners. With 97 save situations, the Cubs have earned 44 holds in addition to 19 blown saves. They are currently ranked 20th in MLB with a save rate of 59.6%, and they have sent 389 relief pitchers to the mound for the year.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 94 double plays and have earned a fielding percentage of .990 (2nd in the majors). The Cubs have 1,129 assists, 46 errors and have amassed 3,245 putouts on the season. In 9,735 innings on the field, the Cubs are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 71.9% (3rd in baseball).

In his pro baseball career, Holmes has surrendered 442 base knocks while tallying 490 strikeouts in 507 innings. Holmes (36-31 win-loss mark in his career) has a 3.69 ERA and has conceded 7.8 hits per 9 innings. He has given up a total of 208 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.308 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.6. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.22 and he has gone up against 2,186 batters during his MLB career.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take St. Louis (+126)

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