St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Picks, Prediction, Odds, and Line Movement for Thursday September 3 2026
The St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers series finale Thursday night at Dodger Stadium brings one of the most lopsided pitching matchups of the week, with Los Angeles a heavy favorite to avoid the sweep. For more matchup breakdowns and value plays, check out our MLB picks.
TLDR: Quick Picks and Prediction
- Side: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-136)
- Total: Under 8 (-116)
- Projected Final Score: Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2
Odds and Line Movement
Current Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Run Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | -311 | -1.5 (-136) | Under 8 (-116) |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +246 | +1.5 (+113) | Over 8 |
Line Movement - Moneyline
| Date | St. Louis | LA Dodgers | Public ($, #) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/02 | +246 | -311 | LAD 61%, 82% |
| 09/02 | +245 | -309 | LAD 60%, 86% |
| 09/02 | +243 | -306 | LAD 100%, 100% |
| 09/02 | +236 | -297 | LAD 100%, 100% |
| 09/02 | +231 | -290 | LAD 100%, 100% |
| 09/02 | +228 | -285 | LAD 100%, 100% |
| 09/02 | +223 | -279 |
Line Movement - Total
| Date | Over | Under | Public ($, #) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/03 | 8o -104 | 8u -116 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -105 | 8u -115 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -104 | 8u -115 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -105 | 8u -115 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -105 | 8u -114 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -103 | 8u -117 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -102 | 8u -117 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -102 | 8u -118 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -103 | 8u -117 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -102 | 8u -118 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -103 | 8u -117 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -103 | 8u -116 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -103 | 8u -117 | UN 62%, 67% |
| 09/03 | 8o -102 | 8u -117 | UN 62%, 67% |
Cardinals vs Dodgers Key Matchups and Game Preview
Skubal Headlines an Elite Dodgers Arm
The pitching matchup explains the sizable price, as Los Angeles sends Tarik Skubal to the mound against Cardinals left-hander Quinn Mathews. Skubal enters 8-7 with a dominant 2.84 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 126.2 innings, allowing only 98 hits while piling up 153 strikeouts against just 21 walks.
Cardinals Turn to Mathews
Mathews has struggled through his limited major-league work, going 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over 19.2 innings while surrendering 23 hits and issuing eight walks against 20 strikeouts.
St. Louis Still Has Dangerous Bats
St. Louis does have some dangerous bats capable of making the matchup interesting. Jordan Walker is batting .288 with 28 home runs and 99 RBI, while Alec Burleson leads the club with 101 RBI to go along with 21 homers.
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Dodgers' Lineup Depth
The Dodgers counter with considerably more lineup depth, led by Shohei Ohtani's 30 home runs and 80 RBI and Freddie Freeman's .306 average, .383 OBP and .467 slugging percentage. Los Angeles has scored 684 runs with 171 home runs while batting .258 with a .336 OBP, compared with St. Louis at 631 runs, 150 homers, a .241 average and .315 OBP.
LAD and STL Team Pitching Numbers
The Dodgers also hold a major pitching advantage at the team level with a 3.71 ERA and 1.16 WHIP compared with the Cardinals' 4.24 ERA and 1.35 WHIP.
Cardinals Have Won the First Two Games
The Cardinals have surprisingly won the first two games of this series, 13-8 and 8-6, but Thursday presents a dramatically different pitching matchup.
Betting Trends - LAD vs STL
Public backing has come in overwhelmingly on Los Angeles throughout the week, with tickets and money both reported at 100% on multiple line checkpoints before settling closer to 60-82% as the line moved. On the total, the under has drawn consistent support, with tickets at 62% and money at 67% leaning under across the vast majority of Thursday's line movement.
Key Injuries and Things To Know - LAD vs STL
St. Louis is dealing with several injuries, including Everson Pereira and Masyn Winn on the 10-day IL, while Ramon Urias is day-to-day and Andre Pallante remains sidelined. Los Angeles has pitching injuries of its own with Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller, Brusdar Graterol, Jake Cousins and Edwin Diaz unavailable, potentially weakening the bullpen behind Skubal.
Cardinals vs Dodgers Side and Over/Under Picks
Dodgers the Play to Avoid the Sweep
Skubal's elite strikeout-to-walk profile and ability to limit baserunners should help Los Angeles avoid the sweep, and Mathews faces a difficult assignment against one of the league's deeper offenses.
Under 8 at Dodger Stadium
With Skubal dominating the strike zone and St. Louis's offense facing a significant step up in class, the under carries appeal at 8 runs.
- Side Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-136)
- Total Pick: Under 8 (-116)
Final Score Prediction
Dodgers' Final Score Edge
With Skubal holding a massive pitching edge and Los Angeles's lineup depth on full display, the Dodgers project to close out the series with a comfortable win.
- Projected Final Score: Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2
How to Wager On Cardinals vs Dodgers
Bettors weighing the run line or total in this Cardinals vs Dodgers finale have a few resources worth checking first. The AI picks page can help compare model-driven projections against the current run line and total movement. For a closer look at projected scoring for both St. Louis and Los Angeles, the Dimers review breaks down the matchup further, while the Oddible review offers another angle for line-shopping before placing a bet on Thursday's series finale.
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