St. Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction, 8/21/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies

Date: Friday, August 21, 2026

Location: Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (+102) Philadelphia (-122)

The St. Louis Cardinals (65-63) are headed to Citizens Bank Park on Friday where they will meet the Philadelphia Phillies (70-58). The odds on this game have St. Louis at +102 and Philadelphia is at -122. The over/under comes in at 8.5. The pitchers expected to start will be Hunter Dobbins and Jesus Luzardo.

St. Louis has a slugging rate of .382 and have been called out on strikes 993 times, while taking a walk on 419 occasions. They have 549 RBI's in addition to 1,032 hits on the campaign, and their batting average is sitting at .241. The Cardinals have tallied 185 doubles as a team and have hit 132 baseballs out of the park. They have accounted for 562 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .317. As a unit, the St. Louis Cardinals are earning 4.4 runs per contest, which has them sitting at 18th in baseball.

Get all of our MLB Betting Picks

They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 2.31 and their pitching staff has recorded a WHIP of 1.32. Cardinals pitchers have given up 125 home runs and 553 total runs (12th in the league). St. Louis has conceded 1,082 base hits (8.5 per 9 innings) and 508 earned runs. The Cardinals are sitting with a team ERA of 4.01 so far this season (12th in MLB), and their staff has struck out 991 batters. They have walked 429 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 4.05 as a squad so far this year.

Cardinals bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill with players on base 131 times as well as having 161 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have recorded 85 holds on the year (5th in the league). The Cardinals relief pitchers have a save rate of 62.7% and have entered the game in 148 save situations. They have earned 37 saves on the season and have missed out on 22 of their 59 save opportunities. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 192 runners this season and 36.5% of those runners crossing the plate. The Cardinals have sent 426 relief pitchers to the mound on the campaign.

The St. Louis Cardinals have earned a total of 3,424 putouts for the season, in addition to 1,198 assists and 55 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .988 which ranks 4th in pro baseball, and they have turned 126 double plays. The Cardinals have turned 69.6% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 10,272 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 18th in the majors.

Dobbins has taken the ball for 111 innings and has earned 94 strikeouts so far in his career. His earned run average is 3.81 (47 earned runs allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.288. He has given up 105 hits (8.5 hits per 9 innings) and has 38 walks. Dobbins (7-4 career win-loss mark) holds a FIP of 3.75 while going up against 468 opposing hitters in the major leagues.

Philadelphia has tallied 155 home runs on the season to go along with 555 runs batted in. They have notched 181 doubles, while walking 411 times and recording 574 runs. The Philadelphia Phillies have earned a team OBP of .312 and a team batting average of .241 on the season. The Phillies have a team slugging percentage of .401 and they average 4.48 runs per game (16th in baseball). They have struck out on 1,080 instances (14th in MLB) and have 1,033 hits.

The Philadelphia pitching staff have relinquished 559 runs on the campaign while holding an ERA of 4.12 (520 earned runs yielded). They have relinquished 150 homers and they concede 4.43 runs per 9 innings (15th in MLB). The Phillies have a WHIP of 1.306 and have a FIP of 3.77 as a pitching staff this season. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 10.00 (1,259 strikeouts vs 392 free passes). They rank 25th in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits conceded with 1,091.

They are ranked 10th in the league holding a save rate of 68.6%, and they have sent 429 relievers onto the diamond so far this year. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the hill 121 times in high leverage situations and also on 97 occasions with runners on. With 109 save situations, the Phillies have tallied 56 holds and also 16 blown saves. Philadelphia has had relievers enter the game in 51 save chances and they have tallied 35 saves. Philadelphia relief pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 36.9% out of their 130 inherited base runners.

The Philadelphia Phillies have gotten 77 double plays and have a fielding rate of .986 (15th in baseball). The Phillies have recorded 1,049 assists, 64 errors and have a tally of 3,407 putouts this season. Out of their 10,221 innings played, the Phillies have earned a efficiency on defense of 67.4% (29th in professional baseball).

Luzardo (52-46 career record) holds a 4.02 ERA and has allowed 8.0 hits per 9 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.39 and he has faced 3,525 opposing batters during his career. He has given up a total of 378 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.228 and a FIP of 4.0. During his MLB career, Luzardo has conceded 755 base hits and he has 960 punch outs in 845 innings.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Philadelphia (-122)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get MLB picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.