Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals – Series Preview (July 27-30): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (59-46) began their road trip by taking two of three from the Pirates at PNC Park. They defeated reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes on Saturday and nearly rallied back from a six-run deficit before falling short of sweeping the series on Sunday. Now they head back to the Midwest to begin a four-game set with the rival Cardinals on Monday.
St. Louis (53-52) has hit a skid since they took a Fourth of July series at Wrigley Field, going 6-13 in their last 19 games. The offense continues to be inconsistent, and a recent power slump from Home Run Derby champion Jordan Walker isn’t helping. First baseman Alec Burleson is not having similar struggles, however, with four three-hit games last week alone.
The Cardinals’ starting pitching has been pretty effective in 2026 with a 4.14 ERA that is with a few hundredths of a point of the top 10 in MLB. Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante have been the best members of the rotation, and both will appear in the series.
St. Louis has had a few more issues in the bullpen, which ranks in the bottom 10 in baseball with a 4.34 ERA. Riley O’Brien remains the closer, with JoJo Romero, Gordon Graceffo, and George Soriano serving as the most reliable arms in the middle and late innings.
Recent struggles aside, the Cards have won four of six against the Cubs this season in seemingly easy fashion. It goes without saying that it would be very helpful for Craig Counsell’s group to put some significant distance between themselves and their bitter rivals before they get hot again.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, July 27 at 6:45pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, July 28 at 6:45pm CT on TBS and Marquee.
- Wednesday, July 29 at 6:45pm CT on Marquee.
- Thursday, July 30 at 1:15pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/27 | David Peterson | 30 | L | 5.97 | 5-7 | 5.06 | 1.38 |
| Matthew Liberatore | 26 | L | 5.18 | 5-7 | 4.83 | 2.50 | |
| 7/28 | Colin Rea | 36 | R | 4.85 | 7-7 | 4.15 | 2.13 |
| Michael McGreevy | 26 | R | 3.07 | 4–8 | 4.23 | 2.74 | |
| 7/29 | Matthew Boyd | 35 | L | 3.81 | 6-1 | 3.64 | 3.24 |
| Dustin May | 28 | R | 4.59 | 5–7 | 3.16 | 3.12 | |
| 7/30 | Shōta Imanaga | 32 | L | 3.72 | 7-8 | 4.40 | 3.90 |
| Andre Pallante | 27 | R | 3.77 | 11-6 | 3.81 | 2.59 |
What to Watch For
- Pete Crow-Armstrong had seven hits against the Pirates, six of which were for extra bases.
- Dansby Swanson has nine hits in his last six games.
- Boyd has been getting steadily better since returning from his knee injury.
- Alex Bregman has gone 0-for-12 in his last three games and had Sunday off.
