The Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals settle an unfinished piece of business Thursday, meeting at Busch Stadium in a makeup game rescheduled from a June rainout. St. Louis opened as a modest home favorite, and the total has already ticked down from its opener. The pitching matchup leans toward the Cardinals, and that edge shapes our read before first pitch.
Last Updated: Thursday, July 23, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO |
| When | Thursday, July 23 – 5:15 PM ET |
| TV | Cardinals.TV / Dbacks.TV (Fubo, MLB.TV) |
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals Game Preview
The starting pitching sets the tone here, and it favors the home side. Right-hander Michael McGreevy carries a 2.92 ERA with 71 strikeouts over 108 2/3 innings, and he has quietly become a front-line arm for St. Louis despite a 4-7 record shaped by thin run support. He also handled these same Diamondbacks recently, working 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball against them on July 13. His command keeps traffic down and innings short.
Arizona counters with Brandon Pfaadt, who is 4-1 but sports a 4.58 ERA. Pfaadt was recalled from Triple-A Reno on June 30 as elbow injuries to Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen thinned the rotation. He has limited damage since, yet he pitches to contact and misses few bats, and he already saw this St. Louis lineup on July 18. That familiarity cuts both ways.
The form gap is real. Arizona sits at 53-49 and has been scorching, winning eight of its last 10 and erupting for 15 runs on Wednesday against the Athletics. St. Louis is 52-49 but has cooled, dropping six of 10 as the bats went quiet, a stretch we flagged in our recent St. Louis breakdown. Both clubs are chasing a National League wild-card spot rather than a division title.
There is a subplot, too. Nolan Arenado, dealt from St. Louis to Arizona in January, returns to Busch Stadium to face his former club. The Diamondbacks bullpen is a factor to watch after heavy recent use in extra-inning games, while the Cardinals are without reliever JoJo Romero, who is recovering from an appendectomy.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
| Run Line | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamondbacks | +1.5 (-200) | +101 | U 8 (-115) |
| Cardinals | -1.5 (+170) | -121 | O 8 (-105) |
Odds accurate as of Thursday, July 23, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest MLB Odds – Futures – Props
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Diamondbacks | 41% | 59% | Cardinals |
See the latest MLB Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals Best Bet — Can Arizona’s Hot Bats Solve McGreevy?
The most telling market signal is the total. It opened at 8.5 and has since dropped to 8, a move toward the under that lines up with the pitching on the mound. McGreevy is a strike-thrower who works efficiently, and Busch Stadium has long played neutral-to-pitcher-friendly, especially on power. St. Louis has also trended firmly under lately, with the under cashing in eight of its last 10 games.
The counter-case is straightforward, and it matters. Arizona’s lineup is red-hot, Pfaadt’s contact profile invites hard-hit balls, and a tired Diamondbacks bullpen could leak runs late if St. Louis pushes the game deep. In contrast, McGreevy’s recent work against this same club and the downward move on the number tilt the value toward the under. This is a lean, not a certainty, and a single Arizona rally could flip it.
The pitching-first read and the market are pointing the same direction here, which is what gives this play its edge over a coin-flip side.
The Pick: Under 8 (-115)
Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals Prediction — Does the Better Arm Win at Busch?
On the side, the same starter drives the read. McGreevy’s 2.92 ERA and clean strike profile give St. Louis the more reliable arm, he is at home, and he already limited this Arizona group in his last look. Because the game projects tight and low-scoring, the moneyline is the cleaner vehicle than laying the run line, where a home favorite loses the cushion on any walk-off win.
Still, the market offers a caution. The Cardinals moneyline actually drifted from -128 at the open to -121, a small nudge toward Arizona, and the public is nearly split. Pfaadt has pitched better than his ERA of late, and a confident Diamondbacks club is dangerous. That keeps this a modest lean rather than a strong stance, and it leans on McGreevy just as the total does.
The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline (-121)
Final Thoughts and Bonus Angle
The swing factor is Arizona’s offense against a taxed bullpen. If St. Louis reaches the Diamondbacks relievers with a lead, the late innings could get noisy and threaten both the under and a one-run Cardinals margin. That risk points to a cleaner way to isolate the edge we trust most.
The bonus angle is a first-five-innings under. It captures the McGreevy-over-Pfaadt matchup while sidestepping Arizona’s worn bullpen entirely, which is where the run risk lives. Pricing on first-five markets varies by book, so confirm the number before committing.
To recap the card: our lean plays are the Under 8 (-115) and the St. Louis Cardinals moneyline (-121), with a first-five-innings under as a bonus angle. For the rest of the card, see our latest MLB best bets.
Bonus Angle: Under in the First Five Innings (F5)
Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals FAQ: Thursday July 23, 2026
What time does the Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals game start?
First pitch is set for 5:15 PM ET on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. This is an afternoon makeup contest slotted onto a mutual off day, so it starts earlier than a typical Cardinals home night game.
What channel is the Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals game on?
There is no national broadcast. The game airs on the teams’ local feeds, Cardinals.TV in the St. Louis market and Dbacks.TV in Arizona, with Fubo also carrying it. Major League Baseball produces the in-market Cardinals telecast, so local fans can watch through their cable, satellite, or streaming provider, while out-of-market fans can use MLB.TV.
Who is pitching for the Diamondbacks and Cardinals?
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (4-1, 4.58 ERA) starts for Arizona, and right-hander Michael McGreevy (4-7, 2.92 ERA) starts for St. Louis. It is a rematch of sorts, as both clubs faced each other earlier this month before this rescheduled makeup.
Where are the Diamondbacks and Cardinals playing today?
The game is at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, with the Cardinals serving as the home team. Arizona is the visiting club for this single makeup game. It is the same ballpark where the clubs’ original June meeting was rained out earlier in the season.
Why are the Diamondbacks and Cardinals playing a makeup game?
Their June 26 meeting at Busch Stadium was postponed by rain, and both teams shared an open date on July 23. Rather than force a doubleheader into the schedule, the clubs rescheduled it as a standalone game on that mutual off day, completing the interrupted series.