After a rainy evening in Philadelphia washed away Tuesday’s scheduled tilt between these two NL clubs, the Cardinals and the Phillies are taking part in a doubleheader on Wednesday. Game 1 got going this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. ET, while Game 2 is slated to start at 6:15 p.m. ET.
It’s expected to be a good pitching matchup, though one that might have been slightly more compelling if it was still 2019, as veterans Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola will take the mound for their respective teams.
Let’s break down everything you’ll need to know for tonight’s contest with the help of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cardinals vs. Phillies prediction, preview
Above, I alluded to these starting pitchers aging. That might be a little disrespectful, particularly towards Gray, who is in the midst of yet another fantastic campaign. There were certainly some worries for the 35-year-old entering the season, as Gray was absolutely demolished every time he took the mound in Spring Training. However, across 46.1 real innings in 2025, Gray owns a 3.50 ERA with a 3.60 FIP. He also pairs a 25.3% strikeout rate with a 4.3 K/BB ratio. Gray’s been even more impressive if you isolate just his last six outings. In that span of time, the RHP combines a 2.80 ERA with a modest .277 opponent wOBA. His velocity might’ve dipped a tick or two in the past half-decade, yet it appears that Gray’s still got it.
That jury is still out in that regard when it comes to Nola. The former seventh-overall pick remains one of the most durable starters in MLB, but his results this season have been quite underwhelming. To wit, Nola’s 4.89 ERA is the highest mark of his career, as his average fastball velocity has fallen from 92.6 mph in 2024 to 91.5 mph in 2025. Nola is also currently experiencing career-highs — or lows, depending on your perspective — in both home runs allowed per nine (1.57) and opponent barrel rate (9.4%). Father time is undefeated, as they say.
It feels like the Cardinals should be pretty well-equipped to exploit Nola’s flaws. St. Louis is the hottest team in baseball at the moment, and it’ll enter Game 1 of today’s doubleheader riding a nine-game winning streak. Pitching has been the biggest element in that success, yet the lineup has also been doing its part. Over the past two weeks, the Cardinals rank 10th the league in both wOBA (.336) and wRC+ (116).
Cardinals vs. Phillies pick, best bet
The fear with a doubleheader is always pitching depth — specifically bullpen depth. It’s impossible to know how Game 1 will play out, but there’s a higher than usual chance that we see both managers have to stretch their starter or turn to lower-leverage relievers in Game 2 out of pure necessity. With that in mind, I’m leaning towards a script with more runs than you might expect for two starting pitchers with this amount of name value.
Best Bet: Cardinals Over 3.5 Runs (-120)
Nola hasn’t been himself in 2025 and the Cardinals’ bats are producing in recent weeks.
Strong Lean: Cardinals ML (+120)
Nola’s been specifically bad against LHBs, surrendering 2.30 home runs per nine within the split. St. Louis has several above-average lefties to stack in their lineup.
