Cubs vs. Cardinals Prediction, Odds & Expert Picks for Sunday Night Baseball

I'm expecting a solid outing from Shota Imanaga tonight, and he should be instrumental in spearheading the Cubs' second straight win.

Mike Spector

Last Updated: August 10, 2025 3:30 PM EDT • 4 minute read

The Chicago Cubs tied up their three-game series with the rival St. Louis Cardinals through a 9-1 rout, and our Cubs vs. Cardinals prediction for Sunday Night Baseball backs them as short -120 moneyline favorites at our best sports betting sites to win the rubber match.

Our Cubs vs. Cardinals best bets believe Chicago boasts the more trustworthy starting pitcher in this matchup. First pitch from Busch Stadium is slated for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).

🔢 Cubs vs. Cardinals odds & betting lines

Here are the latest Cubs vs. Cardinals odds and betting lines from our best live betting sites.

💰 Best Cubs vs. Cardinals predictions: Sunday Night Baseball

Here are my best Cubs vs. Cardinals Sunday Night Baseball predictions for today's MLB matchup. Be sure to check out the rest of our MLB picks, along with our guide on how to bet on the MLB.

📊 Who will win today's Sunday Night Baseball matchup?

As of Sunday morning, the Cubs are favored to beat the Cardinals in today's MLB matchup at 7 p.m. ET from Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Chicago ended a five-game losing streak in night games against NL Central opponents, and I expect its success to continue, as I predict the Cubs will beat the Cardinals as -120 moneyline favorites.

Our best home run predictions today expect Pete Crow-Armstrong to lead the way for Chicago.

🎯 Best Cubs vs. Cardinals player props for Sunday Night Baseball

Shota Imanaga has owned St. Louis in a small three-start sample size, and I am expecting a similarly strong outing from the southpaw as my best Cubs vs. Cardinals player prop for Sunday Night Baseball.

Imanaga is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA and a minuscule 0.857 WHIP in three career starts against the Cardinals. One of those wins came earlier this season when the southpaw blanked St. Louis for five innings, while recording more strikeouts (three) than baserunners allowed (two).

Imanaga should once again prove to be too tough for a Cardinals lineup that ranks 15th in wOBA and 18th in slugging against left-handed pitching this season, and is 25th in ISO in that split since the start of July.

There is great value in his Under of 2.5 earned runs, considering Imanaga has allowed two or fewer in four of his last six starts and seven of his previous 10.

This is a four-star play as the Cardinals have scratched one of their best hitters, Brendan Donovan, due to groin tightness. And this play matches our prediction of a Cubs win, with St. Louis scoring two or fewer runs in seven of its last nine losses.

Best player prop: Shota Imanaga Under 2.5 earned runs (-130 via Caesars)

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1️⃣ NRFI/YRFI bet for Sunday Night Baseball: NRFI (-125 via BetMGM)

When Chicago scored two runs in the first inning yesterday, it snapped a streak of six straight NRFI cashes in Cardinals night games at Busch Stadium. But we should see better pitching tonight from Imanaga and Sonny Gray, so I am going back to the well with an NRFI wager as part of my Cubs vs. Cardinals best bets for Sunday Night Baseball.

📈 Cubs vs. Cardinals betting insights

Here are some betting insights in the hours before first pitch from BetMGM:

The Cubs are drawing the vast majority of the moneyline action while getting 76% of the bets and 78% of the handle
Chicago is accordingly garnering 82% of the bets and 89% of the handle to cover a run line of -1.5
Bettors are split when assessing the total, with the over on 8 runs getting 59% of the bets, but the Under receiving 57% of the handle

📺 How to watch Sunday Night Baseball

⚔️ Matchup: Cubs vs. Cardinals
📅 Date: August 10
🕗 Time: 7 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Busch Stadium (St. Louis)
📺 TV: ESPN
💻 Streaming: YouTube TV

💡 Expert MLB predictions today

❓Sunday Night Baseball FAQs

How do betting odds work?

The Cubs are -120 moneyline favorites, which means a bettor would have to wager $120 to profit $100 if Chicago wins outright. Conversely, St. Louis’ +105 odds means a bettor would profit $105 on a $100 wager if the Cardinals win.

What channel is Sunday Night Baseball on?

Sunday Night Baseball airs on ESPN and can be streamed through YouTube TV.

Who’s playing Sunday Night baseball?

The Sunday Night Baseball matchup is between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

🏆 MLB betting odds pages

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Written by:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”