Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction for Sunday May 31 2026

By: Kim Smith Published 05/31/2026, 01:05 AM ET

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals continue their division series on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 PM ET, and the game will be televised on NBC and Peacock. Both teams enter the matchup with winning records and separated by only a few games in the standings. St. Louis took the opener of the series, while Chicago looks to respond and finish the weekend on a positive note. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks.

Starting Pitchers

Chicago is expected to start Jordan Wicks on Sunday evening. Wicks enters with a 0-1 record, a 16.62 ERA, and a 2.31 WHIP across 4.1 innings. He has allowed nine hits while striking out five batters and walking one. He has also surrendered one home run. St. Louis is scheduled to counter with Matthew Liberatore, who owns a 2-3 record with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP over 56.2 innings. Liberatore has allowed 67 hits while recording 53 strikeouts and issuing 22 walks. He has given up 10 home runs this season.

Cubs Looking to Regain Momentum

Chicago enters Sunday's contest with a 31-27 overall record and a 13-16 road record. The Cubs have gone 2-3 over their last five games, recently winning over Pittsburgh twice while recently losing to Pittsburgh twice and St. Louis in the series opener. Their latest defeat was a 6-5 loss to the Cardinals, a game that remained competitive throughout.

The Cubs are batting .239 as a team with 277 runs scored, 470 hits, and 65 home runs. Chicago owns a .336 on-base percentage and a .388 slugging percentage. On the mound, the Cubs have posted a 4.23 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP while limiting opponents to a .239 batting average. Their pitching staff has recorded 464 strikeouts.

One of the biggest strengths for Chicago has been its ability to create scoring opportunities. The Cubs hold advantages over St. Louis in runs scored, hits, on-base percentage, strikeouts, and opponent batting average. Those categories have helped keep Chicago above .500 despite its losing road record.

Cardinals Hoping to Build on Series Opening Victory

St. Louis enters this matchup with a 30-25 overall record and a 14-13 home mark. The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak with their victory over Chicago on Friday. Before that win, St. Louis had recently lost to Milwaukee three times and Cincinnati in extra innings. The Cardinals will look to build momentum after finally getting back into the win column.

The Cardinals are batting .239 with 241 runs scored, 442 hits, and 63 home runs. St. Louis owns a .318 on-base percentage and a .388 slugging percentage. Defensively, the Cardinals have posted a 4.23 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP while allowing opponents to hit .255. The pitching staff has recorded 422 strikeouts.

A key strength for St. Louis has been its ability to draw walks, as the Cardinals have accumulated 199 walks compared to 176 for Chicago. However, much of the statistical profile between these clubs is remarkably close, which helps explain why this series projects to be competitive.

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Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction

Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Pick

Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline

Although St. Louis won the series opener, Chicago holds advantages in several important categories. The Cubs have scored more runs, collected more hits, posted a better on-base percentage, recorded more strikeouts, and allowed a lower opponent batting average. Chicago's overall offensive production has been stronger throughout the season, and those advantages make the Cubs the side I prefer entering Sunday's matchup.

Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals Total Pick

Pick: Take the over if the total is set at 8.5

I would lean toward the over if the total is posted around 8.5 runs. Friday's meeting produced 11 total runs, and both teams enter with identical 4.23 ERAs. The projected starting pitchers have also allowed a combined 11 home runs this season. With these clubs showing the ability to score and the recent series opener finishing comfortably above that number, the over would be my preferred play.

Final Score Prediction: Chicago Cubs 6 – St. Louis Cardinals 5

This prediction was written before the completion of game play on Saturday.

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