One of my favorite things in any MLB season is a Chicago Cubs standalone Friday matinee at Wrigley Field, something I always lovingly refer to as a "Ferris Bueller" special. We have one of the sport's top rivalries renewed today with the St. Louis Cardinals visiting the North Side.
It's a 2:20 ET first pitch and an Apple TV exclusive. The Cubs sometimes have a huge advantage in these Friday series-opening matinees if they were off Thursday and the opponent was not, but the opposite is true . Louis didn't play Thursday, while the Cubbies were blasted 7-0 in Washington to see a three-game winning streak snapped but also rested a few regulars.
Bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets instantly when you bet on baseball at DraftKings:: This series certainly has National League playoff implications. It's now pretty obvious the Cubbies will return to the postseason holding the top wild card spot and six games ahead of San Diego for the second one. Earning the top spot means a series at home just as the Cubs had in 2025 when they beat the Padres in three.
But with Milwaukee fading a bit of late and the Brewers potentially looking at more troubles this weekend at the Dodgers (although they scored a great comeback win Thursday), the NL Central is back up for grabs with Chicago only four games back. The SportsLine Projection Model gives the Cubs a 99.4% shot to make the playoffs and a 18.4% chance to win the division. Chicago and Milwaukee still have seven games to play against one another.
The Cubs are +240 for the division and -165 favorites to be the NL's No. 4 overall seed. If you're interested in MLB betting and want to try it on the best sports betting apps, you can check out the SportsLine Projection Model for picks on games like Cardinals-Cubs from the simulations and our experts. Place your Cubs-Cardinals wages and get $1,500 in bonus bets back at BetMGM Sportsbook:: Trade acquisition Clay Holmes makes his second start for the club after coming over from the Mets at the deadline along with outfielder Tyrone Taylor, although it did cost Chicago one of its top prospects in infielder Jefferson Rojas, who immediately became New York's No. 1 prospect.
Holmes (4-5, 2.86 ERA overall), who is likely to decline his 2027 player option to return to free agency, was a little sluggish in his Cubs debut last Saturday in Kansas City when he allowed four runs and six hits over four innings. Holmes admitted he was a pick too amped up early on and left his pitches in the zone – the Royals scored in each of the first three innings. But rust was to be expected considering Holmes' change of scenery and the fact that he hadn't pitched in the majors since mid-May after fracturing his fibula on a comebacker.
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