St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 8/16/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Sunday, August 16, 2026

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (+162) Chicago (-196)

The Chicago Cubs (71-51) will take on the St. Louis Cardinals (61-60) at Wrigley Field on Sunday. The odds on this game have St. Louis at +162 while Chicago is sitting at -196. The betting total comes in at 8. The starting pitchers are Hunter Dobbins and Edward Cabrera.

As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals are notching 4.4 runs per contest, which puts them at 19th in baseball. They have accounted for 529 runs scored and have an OBP of .316. The Cardinals have accumulated 171 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 122 balls out of the stadium. They have earned 516 runs batted in as well as 974 base knocks this year, while their average at the plate is sitting at .241. St. Louis has a slugging rate of .379 and have been called out on strikes 933 times, while drawing a walk on 393 occasions.

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The Cardinals have an ERA of 4.07 on the year (12th in the league), and the staff has struck out 923 batters. Cardinals pitchers have conceded 118 home runs and 530 runs in total (13th in the league). They have walked 412 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.10 as a unit for the season. St. Louis has given up 1,036 hits (8.6 per 9 innings) in addition to 489 earned runs. They have accrued a K/BB ratio of 2.24 and the pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.34.

The Cardinals have dispatched 405 relievers to the hill on the campaign. The relief pitchers have inherited 189 base runners for the year with 36.0% of them crossing home plate. The relief pitchers have notched 79 holds for the year (5th in MLB). Cardinals pitchers have entered the contest with opponents on base 128 times as well as having 152 appearances in high leverage situations. They have tallied 35 saves on the year and have not converted 22 of their 57 chances to get a save. The Cardinals relief pitchers have a save percentage of 61.4% and stepped onto the hill in 140 save situations.

The Cardinals have turned 69.4% of balls hit into play into outs out of 9,723 innings on the field, which has them sitting at 21st in pro baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals have 3,241 putouts over the course of the season, as well as 1,139 assists and 53 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .988 which is 5th in baseball, and they have turned 120 double plays.

Dobbins (6-4 career mark) has earned a FIP of 3.76 while he has faced 447 hitters in the majors. He has allowed 103 hits (8.7 hits per nine innings) with 34 free passes. His ERA is 3.82 (45 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.292. Dobbins has thrown 106 innings and has accumulated 87 strikeouts in his MLB career.

The Chicago Cubs have accounted for an OBP of .339 in addition to a team batting average of .249 on the year. They have been rung up on 1,052 instances (8th in MLB) and have tallied 1,045 base hits. Chicago has recorded 155 HRs so far this year as well as 597 runs batted in. The Cubs have a team SLG% of .418 and they average 5.20 runs per game (2nd in baseball). They have hit 205 doubles, while taking a walk 521 times as well as notching 634 runs.

The Chicago pitching staff have allowed 526 runs so far this year while holding an ERA of 4.11 (497 earned runs surrendered). They have conceded 182 long balls and they relinquish 4.35 runs per 9 innings (11th in baseball). The Cubs have a team WHIP of 1.257 in addition to having a FIP of 4.64 as a squad this season. Their K/BB ratio sits at 7.70 (937 strikeouts vs 358 bases on balls). They are currently ranked 20th in the league as a staff in total hits surrendered with 1,011.

Chicago relief pitchers hold an inherited score percentage of 30.4% of 168 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 119 times in high leverage situations and also on 120 occasions with runners on. With 97 save situations, the Cubs have compiled 44 holds and 19 blown saves. They are ranked 20th in the league holding a save percentage of 59.6%, and they have sent 390 bullpen pitchers to the mound this season.

The Chicago Cubs have turned 94 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .990 (2nd in MLB). The Cubs have recorded 1,135 assists, 46 errors and have notched a total of 3,269 putouts for the year. In 9,807 innings played, the Cubs hold a defensive efficiency of 71.8% (3rd in baseball).

During his career, Cabrera has conceded 421 base knocks and he has 543 strikeouts in 503 innings. He has allowed 236 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.323 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.2. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.22 and he has faced 2,153 batters during his career. Cabrera (30-33 career mark) has earned a 4.22 earned run average while conceding 7.5 hits per 9 innings.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Chicago (-196)

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