Cubs vs. Cardinals Prediction, MLB Picks for Sunday Night Baseball – 5/31/26

Sunday Night Baseball features a rubber match between NL Central rivals, as the Chicago Cubs (32-27) visit the St. Louis Cardinals (30-26). For Sunday, May 31’s matchup, the Cardinals are a slight home favorite with a 1.78x payout to win on PrizePicks Team Picks.

In Game 1 of the three-game series, St. Louis hit 3 home runs in its 6-5 win. Chicago answered with a dominant 6-1 win on Saturday. Who will grab a much-needed win in the tight NL Central race?

Below, we'll break down our Cubs vs. Cardinals prediction and picks for Sunday Night Baseball, including the winner payouts, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

Make your Cubs vs. Cardinals picks for Sunday Night Baseball on PrizePicks.

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Cubs vs. Cardinals Prediction, Winner, Over/Under – Sunday, May 31

Following a brutal 10-game losing streak from May 16 to May 26, the Cubs finally seem back on track with a 3-1 record over the last four games. Despite this month’s struggles, Chicago is still in second place in the NL Central and sits only four games behind the first-place Brewers. 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals dropped to third in the division following Saturday’s loss. With a win tonight, St. Louis would jump back to second place in the NL Central.

According to PrizePicks Team Picks, the Cubs have the second-shortest payout to win the NL Central (3.33x), while the Cardinals have the highest payout (14.28x). 

For Sunday Night Baseball, a pair of lefties in Cubs SP Jordan Wicks (1 GS, 16.62 ERA, 4.10 xFIP) and Cardinals SP Matthew Liberatore (11 GS, 4.76 ERA, 3.93 xFIP) will square off on the mound.

Each team is 3-7 over the last 10 games. While Chicago is headed in the right direction with a 3-1 record over the last four games, St. Louis is 1-5 in its last six contests.   

Cubs vs. Cardinals Winner Payout, Over/Under – Sunday, May 31

The Cardinals enter today’s matchup on Sunday Night Baseball as a slight home favorite against the Cubs, returning a 1.78x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Here are the full payouts for the Cubs vs. Cardinals game on PrizePicks.

• Spread: St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (2.63x payout)
• Over/Under: 8.5 (1.88x payout on Over)
• Game Winner Payout: Cubs 1.92x | Cardinals 1.78x

Make your Cubs vs. Cardinals prediction on the winner or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 35 states!

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Cubs vs. Cardinals Prediction on Winner for Sunday Night Baseball – 5/31/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Cubs vs. Cardinals prediction on the winner for Sunday Night Baseball.

Lock in your Cubs vs. Cardinals predicition on PrizePicks before the first pitch.

• According to FanGraphs, the Cubs have 283 runs scored (sixth), paired with a .326 wOBA (sixth). Meanwhile, the Cardinals have scored only 242 runs (21st) and a .313 wOBA (17th).
• St. Louis has battled a recent slump with 3.4 runs per game in the last 10 matchups, declining from 4.3 on the season (15th).
• While Cubs SP Jordan Wicks carries an alarming 16.62 ERA, it’s a small sample size with only one start and 4.1 innings pitched under his belt in 2026.
• Last season, Wicks made eight appearances as a reliever, finishing with a 3.25 xFIP.
• St. Louis has 66 runs (tied for 18th) and a .308 wOBA (tied for 17th) against left-handed pitchers this season.
• Cardinals SP Matthew Liberatore has stumbled with a .289 xBA allowed, per Baseball Savant.
• Chicago’s bats have provided a spark over the last four games, racking up 11.3 hits per game. 
• Furthermore, Liberatore’s top put-away rate is held by his slider — which carries his second-highest usage rate (23.7%). The Cubs may have the answer with the sixth-most runs above average against the pitch.
• If Liberatore is pulled early, the Cards’ bullpen has a pitiful 4.76 xERA (29th).

Cubs vs. Cardinals Player Picks, Stats for PrizePicks – 5/31/26

Here are top Cubs vs. Cardinals picks to target on PrizePicks for Sunday, May 31. Tonight’s MLB picks for PrizePicks include Carson Kelly and Matthew Liberatore.

Cubs C Carson Kelly vs. Cardinals: 4.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

• Carson Kelly tops the Cubs batting order with a blazing .347 batting average against left-handed pitching.
• He’s totaled 2 hits in three of his last five contests, averaging a 4.8 hitter fantasy score per game in the five-game split.
• According to Baseball Savant, Matthew Liberatore’s most-used pitch is a four-seam fastball (32.3%), and Kelly rakes to the tune of .311 against the pitch this season.
• Over 6 career at-bats vs. Liberatore, Kelly has 2 hits and a .333 batting average.

Add Carson Kelly to your PrizePicks Lineup now.

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Cardinals SP Matthew Liberatore vs. Cubs: 4.5 Strikeouts

• Matthew Liberatore is on an absolute heater in the strikeout department, totaling 9 and 10 Ks over his last two starts.
• Plus, the southpaw pitcher has reached 5 strikeouts in four consecutive games.
• While Chicago has only a 21.2% strikeout rate (11th-lowest), it’s totaled 9.6 Ks per game over the last five contests compared to 8.3 on the season (15th-fewest).
• Liberatore’s most-used pitch is a four-seam fastball, and the Cubs are 19th in runs above average against the pitch.
• His curveball (14.3% usage rate) carries a lofty 50.0% K rate, and Chicago is 27th in runs above average against this pitch.

Add Matthew Liberatore to your PrizePicks Lineup now.

Make Cubs vs. Cardinals Picks for Sunday Night Baseball on PrizePicks

Who will take the rubber match in an NL Central collision on Sunday Night Baseball? The Cubs seem back on track, while the Cardinals head in the opposite direction.

Don’t wait until the first pitch — make your Cubs vs. Cardinals picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.

Pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.

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