St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup — Friday, Jul 3, 2026

St. Louis has several hitters with at least some success against David Peterson, led by Jordan Walker at 2-for-4 with a 1.750 OPS and José Fermín at 2-for-3 with a 1.334 OPS. JJ Wetherholt is 1-for-2 with a 1.000 OPS, while Iván Herrera and Masyn Winn have each gone 1-for-1 in 2 PA with a 2.000 OPS. Nelson Velázquez is 1-for-4 with a 1.250 OPS, but Alec Burleson is hitless in his 0-for-2 history with a .000 OPS, Nathan Church is 0-for-3 with a .000 OPS, and Blaze Jordan has no MLB history vs Peterson.

Chicago brings much deeper familiarity against Andre Pallante, with Michael Busch standing out at a perfect 6-for-6 and a 3.167 OPS. Seiya Suzuki is 6-for-10 in 11 PA with a 1.436 OPS, Ian Happ is 7-for-15 in 19 PA with a 1.446 OPS, Nico Hoerner is 3-for-8 in 10 PA with a 1.250 OPS, and Carson Kelly is 4-for-6 with a 1.334 OPS. Alex Bregman is 1-for-3 in 7 PA, drawing four walks in the matchup and carrying a 1.047 OPS, while Pete Crow-Armstrong is hitless at 0-for-7 with a .000 OPS, Michael Conforto is 0-for-6 with a .000 OPS, and Dansby Swanson is 2-for-14 with a .286 OPS.

The Cubs clearly have the more established track record against the opposing starter, both in volume and quality of results. St. Louis has a few encouraging small-sample matchups, but Chicago’s lineup shows far broader familiarity with Pallante.