Cubs vs. Cardinals: Game 3 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks

The Chicago Cubs take on the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday for the third and final game of the series at Busch Stadium. Coming into this one, Chicago is top of the NL Central with a 47-33 record. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are 44-37, placing them in third.

Let's take a look at the odds and how the action might play out for the series finale.

Cubs vs Cardinals prediction

For the visitors, ace Shota Imanaga makes his much-anticipated return to the mound, having last pitched in early May, after which he picked up a hamstring injury. Imanaga was doing great before his injury, boasting a 3-2 record, along with a 2.82 ERA and 34 total strikeouts for the season.

Shota Imanaga in action against the Pittsburgh Pirates - Source: Getty

Offensively, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Nico Hoerner are the key players for Chicago.

For the Cardinals, it is Andre Pallante making his latest start. Pallante has been decent so far, with a 5-3 record, along with a 4.48 ERA and 58 total strikeouts.

At the plate, the likes of Lars Nootbar, Brendan Donovan, Masyn Winn and Nolan Arenado have enjoyed success this season for the Cardinals.

If Imanaga can hit the ground running and perform close to his pre-injury levels, this pitching matchup favors the visitors, who should be able to secure an important win, clinching the series in the process.

Prediction: Chicago Cubs 5, St. Louis Cardinals 4

Odds

Money Line: Chicago Cubs -132, St. Louis Cardinals +112

Run Line: Chicago -1.5 (+110), St. Louis +1.5 (-147)

Total Runs: Over 8.5 (-152), Under 8.5 (+114)

Injury report

Chicago injuries

Miguel Amaya: 10-day IL (Oblique)
Justin Steele: 60-day IL (Elbow)
Javier Assad: 60-day IL (Oblique)
Eli Morgan: 60-day IL (Elbow)

St. Louis injuries

Iván Herrera: 10-day IL (Hamstring)
Jordan Walker: 10-day IL (Appendicitis)
Zack Thompson: 60-day IL (Lat)

Expert's picks

Coming off a dominant win in Wednesday's fixture, and with the pitching matchup leaning in their favor, Chicago should be able to clinch this series in Thursday's finale.

Money Line: Chicago Cubs -132

Run Line: St. Louis +1.5 (-147)

Total Runs: Over 8.5 (-152)

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by John Maxwell

Cubs vs. Cardinals: Game 3 prediction, odds, injuries, and picks - June 26, 2025