I feel like this series was supposed to have more juice when the schedule makers drew it up over a year ago. On paper, I get it. The NL Central favorite Cubs squaring-off with their long-time rival in the Cardinals on the final weekend of the regular season. That does scream drama.
However, what the schedule makers didn’t see coming was the Brewers. Or the fact that St. Louis wasn’t interested in spending any money at all this winter in free agency. Combine that with the fact that Chicago is virtually locked into the top Wild Card spot, and you’re left with three baseball games and not a ton of meaning.
Still, a Friday afternoon tilt at Wrigley is as classic as it gets. Let’s preview this matinee matchup with the help of some of those odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cardinals vs. Cubs prediction, preview
Is this about to be the final start of Miles Mikolas’ career? The 37-year-old’s three-year, $57 million contract ends in 2025, and it’s safe to say that the deal has been a disappointment. While Mikolas does rank third in starts (97) and 13th in innings (524.1) during that span, he’s also pitched to an underwhelming 4.96 ERA and 5.13 xERA. Things haven’t been much better if you isolate just this season’s numbers, as Mikolas has combined a career-low 14.8% strikeout rate with a career-high 4.88 FIP. The right-hander’s second percentile whiff rate (16.2%) and third percentile opponent barrel rate (12.3%) aren’t exactly encouraging, either. At this point, it’s simply difficult to imagine that many teams will be eager for Mikolas’ services come December and January.
Mikolas has been pitching for the Cardinals since 2018, so he’s faced the Cubs quite a lot. Nico Hoerner is 13-for-36 (.361) with three doubles off the veteran, while Ian Happ is 14-for-44 (.318) with six doubles. However, it’s a younger player on Chicago’s roster that truly owns Mikolas. Pete Crow-Armstrong only has seven career at-bats against St. Louis’ two-time All-Star, yet he’s somehow managed four long balls and a double in those handful of opportunities. PCA has been struggling to the tune of a .175/.225/.253 slash line since the beginning of August, but maybe a matchup with Mikolas will be able to cure what ails him. It’s also worth noting that Crow-Armstrong is one home run away from a 30/30 campaign.
On the other side of the pitching probables is Colin Rea. The veteran RHP feels like a long shot to start a game in the playoffs for the Cubs, though anything is possible with the recent struggles of Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd. Across 153.2 innings in 2025, Rea has managed a 4.10 ERA and a 4.77 xERA. He was also incredibly impressive in his last appearance, tossing seven one-run innings against the Reds with a season-high 11 strikeouts. Look for Rea to build on that performance on Friday, as the Cardinals possess a league-worst .115 ISO in the month of September.
Cardinals vs. Cubs pick, best bet
Best Bet: Pete Crow-Armstrong 2+ Total Bases (-102)
PCA sports an insane 3.571 OPS in his career meetings with Mikolas. If he can’t have a productive day at the plate this afternoon, he might be truly broken.
