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St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs

Friday, Aug 14, 2026Wrigley Field2:20 PM ETPreview
STL · Away · 61-60

St. Louis Cardinals

NL Central · 2nd · 13.5 GB
:
2:20 PM ET
H2H 58
CHC · Home · 71-51

Chicago Cubs

NL Central · 5th · 4.0 GB
Starting pitchers
Starter form · last 5 starts
Season5.15
Last 54.50
0.65 ERA better in last 5
6 days restQS (L5) 40%Blow-up (L5) 0/5
007/11
507/21
307/27
008/02
508/08

⚡ Alternating good/bad starts

Season2.86
Last 53.71
0.85 ERA worse in last 5
6 days restQS (L5) 40%Blow-up (L5) 0/5
004/28
105/03
205/09
405/15
408/08

↑ ERA trending up lately

Matchup edge
Clay Holmes pitching edge·Cubs 82 L10
PitchingCubs
St. Louis40Cubs47
HittingCubs
St. Louis40Cubs66
BullpenSt. Louis
St. Louis60Cubs49
Lineup not yet announced · posted ~1–2 hrs before first pitch
Projected hitters vs RHP / LHP
St. Louis vs RHP
Avg OPS 0.7952 hot hittersTop: Burleson 0.973 · Walker 0.853 · Wetherholt 0.784

Projected sample — season splits vs pitcher hand, not official order.

Cubs vs LHP
Avg OPS 1.2844 hot hittersTop: Conforto 2.467 · Dean 1.125 · Ramírez 1.111

Projected sample — season splits vs pitcher hand, not official order.

St. Louis Cardinals hitters vs RHP (projected)
Batter
AVG
OPS
HR
0.322
0.973
19
0.286
0.853
23
0.188
0.606
5
0.250
0.759
13
0.266
0.784
16
Chicago Cubs hitters vs LHP (projected)
Batter
AVG
OPS
HR
0.375
1.125
0
0.282
0.835
20
0.333
1.111
2
0.600
2.467
9
◆ Matchup preview

St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs (2026-08-14). Matthew Liberatore vs Clay Holmes at Wrigley Field.

Starters — Liberatore has a 5.15 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 113.2 innings, with 8.71 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and 1.58 HR/9. His last three starts were uneven: 5 ER in 5.0 innings on Aug. 8, 0 ER in 6.0 innings on Aug. 2, and 3 ER in 3.2 innings on July 27. The overall trend is down, and the home-run rate remains a concern. Holmes has a 2.86 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 56.2 innings, with 7.31 K/9, 3.18 BB/9, and 0.64 HR/9. His last three starts were 4 ER in 4.0 innings on Aug. 8, 4 ER in 4.1 innings on May 15, and 2 ER in 5.2 innings on May 9. The trend is listed as up, supported by the strong full-season run prevention and low HR rate, though the recent workload sample is limited.

Teams — St. Louis enters with a .695 OPS, 529 runs scored, a .241 average, and a 4.07 team ERA with a 1.34 WHIP. The Cardinals are 7-3 over their last 10, which suggests better recent form than their season-long offensive profile. Chicago brings a .757 OPS, 634 runs scored, a .249 average, and a 4.10 team ERA with a 1.26 WHIP. The Cubs are 8-2 in their last 10 and hold the clearer edge in season-long lineup production, while also carrying the better staff WHIP.

Key facts
Liberatore has allowed 1.58 HR/9 and owns a 1.52 WHIPHolmes has a 2.86 ERA and 0.64 HR/9 in 56.2 IPCubs offense leads this matchup with a .757 OPS and 634 runs
Head to head (2025–2026)
58
Chicago Cubs lead series
13 meetings total
2025-09-28
St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs
02
CHC
2025-09-27
St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs
37
CHC
2025-09-26
St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs
112
CHC
2025-08-10
Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals
23
STL
2025-08-09
Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals
91
CHC
Team picture · 2026
73
WWLWLWWLWW
82
LWWWLWWWWW
STL
CHC
Team AVG
0.241
0.249
Team OPS
0.695
0.757
Home runs
122
155
Runs scored
529
634
Team ERA
4.07
4.10
HR allowed
118
182

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