Venue: Citizens Bank Park — Philadelphia, PA
Scheduled First Pitch: 7:05 PM ET
Television: Bally Sports Midwest / NBC Sports Philadelphia / MLB.TV**
Weather Forecast — Philadelphia, PA
Citizens Bank Park is outdoors and strongly influenced by wind direction.
Temperature: 82°F
Wind: 11 mph blowing out to left‑center
Humidity: 63%
Rain Chance: 10% Conditions: Hitter‑friendly, especially for right‑handed pull hitters.
Wind blowing out boosts HR probability for Goldschmidt, Arenado, Harper, and Bohm.
Injury Report
St. Louis Cardinals
Willson Contreras — OUT (forearm)
Tommy Edman — OUT (wrist)
Lars Nootbaar — OUT (hamstring)
Ryan Helsley — OUT (shoulder)
Brendan Donovan — Day‑to‑day (ankle)
Jordan Walker — healthy
Philadelphia Phillies
Zack Wheeler — OUT (elbow)
Ranger Suárez — OUT (shoulder)
Bryson Stott — OUT (knee)
Cristian Pache — OUT (hip)
JT Realmuto — Day‑to‑day (groin)
Harper / Schwarber — healthy
Phillies are missing rotation depth but retain their elite middle‑order bats. Cardinals are missing key lineup pieces and their closer.
Starting Pitching Matchup
STL — RHP Gordon Matthews
(2026 Season: 7–9, 4.12 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) Matthews is a rising arm with strong command but inconsistent swing‑and‑miss ability.
Strengths:
Good fastball/slider mix
Strong command vs right‑handed hitters
Keeps ball down effectively
Weaknesses:
Struggles vs left‑handed power
Phillies rank 5th in MLB vs sliders
Vulnerable when behind in counts
Phillies vs Matthews profile:
Harper: .333 vs RHP sliders
Schwarber: .511 SLG vs RHP fastballs
Bohm: .288 vs sliders
PHI — RHP Andrew Painter
(2026 Season: 10–6, 3.34 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) Painter has emerged as one of MLB’s premier young aces.
Strengths:
Elite fastball/slider combination
High strikeout rate
Excellent home splits (2.89 ERA at CBP)
Cardinals rank 22nd in MLB vs high‑velocity fastballs
Weaknesses:
Occasional command lapses early
Cardinals’ best hitters (Goldschmidt, Arenado) feast on elevated heaters
Cardinals vs Painter profile:
Goldschmidt: .302 vs high‑velo fastballs
Arenado: .540 SLG vs RHP sliders
Walker: .274 vs RHP, rising power
Key Player Matchups
Bryce Harper vs Gordon Matthews
Harper crushes sliders
Wind blowing out to left‑center Edge: Harper
Paul Goldschmidt vs Andrew Painter
Goldy handles elite velocity
Painter dominates right‑handed hitters overall Edge: Slightly Painter
Alec Bohm vs Cardinals Bullpen
Cardinals bullpen ERA: 4.61
Bohm thrives vs middle relief Edge: Bohm
Nolan Arenado vs Painter
Arenado’s slider success vs Painter’s elite slider Edge: Slightly Painter
Recent Team Form
St. Louis Cardinals — Last 10 Games: 5–5
Offense averaging 4.3 runs/game
Bullpen shaky without Helsley
Road record: 29–36
Walker heating up (10 hits last 6 games)
Philadelphia Phillies — Last 10 Games: 6–4
Offense averaging 5.0 runs/game
Painter stabilizing rotation
Home record: 40–26
Harper + Bohm surging
Phillies enter slightly hotter and more stable.
Series History
2026 Season Series
Phillies lead 3–2
Phillies have outscored Cardinals 27–22
Painter vs STL earlier: 7 IP, 1 ER, 8 K
Matthews vs PHI earlier: 5 IP, 3 ER, 2 HR allowed
At Citizens Bank Park (Last 3 Years)
Phillies lead 10–6
Average total runs: 9.0
HRs spike with wind blowing out
Betting Trends
St. Louis Cardinals
3–7 in last 10 road games
2–5 in Matthews’ last 7 starts
Under is 6–3 in last 9 Cardinals games
Philadelphia Phillies
7–3 in last 10 home games
6–1 in Painter’s last 7 starts
Phillies ML has hit in 69% of games as home favorites
Head‑to‑Head Trends
Phillies have won 6 of last 9
Over has hit in 5 of last 8
Game Odds
St. Louis Cardinals 9
Philadelphia Phillies – 130
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, August 21, 2026
