Venue: Rogers Centre — Toronto, Ontario
Scheduled First Pitch: 3:07 p.m. EDT
Surface: Artificial turf
Probable Pitchers
St. Louis – RHP David Matthews
(Matthews is St. Louis’ young right-hander in 2026)
2026 Season: 4.29 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 113.1 IP, 22.4% K, 7.2% BB
Profile:
Four-seam/slider/changeup mix.
Generates swing-and-miss with slider but can be homer-prone when fastball leaks up.
Blue Jays’ lineup features right-handed power (Guerrero, Bichette, Varsho) that punishes elevated heaters.
Must keep the ball down in a park that boosts fly balls when roof is open.
Toronto – RHP Kevin Gausman
2026 Season: 3.41 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 125.0 IP, 29.1% K, 6.1% BB
Profile:
Elite splitter, one of MLB’s most effective pitches.
Four-seam fastball sets up splitter; induces weak contact and strikeouts.
Cardinals’ lineup has several left-handed bats (Nootbaar, Gorman, Burleson) who struggle vs high-spin fastballs and splitters.
Only vulnerability: occasional home-run issues when fastball command is off.
Current Rosters
St. Louis Cardinals – Key Position Players
1B Paul Goldschmidt
2B Nolan Gorman
SS Masyn Winn
3B Nolan Arenado
LF Lars Nootbaar
CF Victor Scott II
RF Jordan Walker
DH Alec Burleson
C Willson Contreras / Iván Herrera
Toronto Blue Jays – Key Position Players
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
2B Davis Schneider
SS Bo Bichette
3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa
LF Daulton Varsho
CF Kevin Kiermaier
RF George Springer
DH Justin Turner
C Danny Jansen / Alejandro Kirk
Injury Reports
St. Louis Cardinals
Steven Matz – IL (shoulder)
Tommy Edman – IL (wrist)
Dylan Carlson – IL (ankle)
Giovanny Gallegos – IL (elbow)
Toronto Blue Jays
Alek Manoah – IL (shoulder)
Jordan Romano – IL (back)
Cavan Biggio – IL (hamstring)
Erik Swanson – IL (forearm)
Recent Team Form
St. Louis Cardinals – Last 10 Games: 5–5
Offense averaging 4.5 runs per game.
Bullpen ERA last 10: 3.88.
Road record: 25–30.
Arenado heating up: .318 with 3 HR in last 10.
Toronto Blue Jays – Last 10 Games: 4–6
Offense averaging 4.2 runs per game.
Bullpen has struggled: 4.71 ERA last 10.
Home record: 28–29.
Guerrero Jr. has 4 HR in last 9 games.
Series History (2024–2026)
Cardinals lead the interleague matchup slightly.
2026 head-to-head: First meeting of the season.
Rogers Centre games between these teams since 2024 have averaged 8.7 runs.
Cardinals have won 3 of last 5 in Toronto.
Key Player vs Player Matchups
David Matthews vs Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Guerrero crushes elevated fastballs and has elite bat speed.
Matthews’ slider must be sharp; Guerrero punishes mistakes.
Edge: Guerrero
David Matthews vs Bo Bichette
Bichette excels vs mid-velocity fastballs and changeups.
Matthews’ changeup could induce weak contact if well located.
Edge: Bichette (slight)
Kevin Gausman vs Nolan Gorman
Gorman struggles vs splitters; Gausman’s is elite.
High strikeout probability.
Edge: Gausman (major)
Kevin Gausman vs Lars Nootbaar
Nootbaar’s plate discipline helps him avoid chase on splitters.
If Gausman’s fastball command is off, Nootbaar can do damage.
Edge: Gausman, but with OBP risk.
Betting Trends (2026 Season)
St. Louis Cardinals
ML: 54–56
O/U: 52–56–2
As road underdog: 19–27
First 5 innings unders: 58%
Toronto Blue Jays
ML: 51–59
O/U: 49–58–3
As home favorite: 20–18
Full-game overs at home: 57%
Head-to-head trends
Overs have hit in 6 of last 10 meetings.
Cardinals have covered run line in 5 of last 8 vs Toronto.
Game Odds
St. Louis Cardinals 8.5
Toronto Blue Jays – 148
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, July 31, 2026
