Cardinals Lineup vs Cubs: Jimmy Crooks Out, Top 6 Stay Put

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to kick off their most important series of the season.

Aug 3, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to kick off arguably their most important series of the season on Friday afternoon.

St. Louis has won three straight series and now is three games out of a National League Wild Card spot. The Cardinals took two out of three games from the Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the week before a day off on Thursday. Now, on Friday, the Cardinals will begin a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs that could very well have a long-term impact on whether the Cardinals can sneak into the playoffs, or miss out on the postseason entirely.

Cardinals vs. Cubs Pitching Matchup on Friday

Aug 8, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (32) throws against the Colorado Rockies during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals are sticking with Matthew Liberatore, despite his recent struggles. Liberatore enters the contest with a 5.15 ERA across 23 starts. On the bright side, Liberatore has a 110-to-43 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 113 2/3 innings of action for St. Louis.

Chicago is countering with two-time All-Star Clay Holmes, who was acquired ahead of the 2026 MLB trade deadline. He has one start under his belt for Chicago so far and allowed four runs in four innings of action on Aug. 8.

Cardinals Starting Lineup

Aug 9, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a go-ahead two run double against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. JJ Wetherholt, 2B
2. Iván Herrera, C
3. Alec Burleson, 1B
4. Jordan Walker, RF
5. Nathan Church, CF
6. Masyn Winn, SS
7. Bryan Torres, DH
8. José Fermín, LF
9. César Prieto, 3B

The Cardinals' lineup looks very similar to how it did on Wednesday against the Phillies. The top six hitters in the lineup are all in the exact same spots. The only difference is that Herrera is going to be behind the plate on Friday, rather than as the club's designated hitter, like he was on Wednesday.

With Herrera behind the plate, that takes Jimmy Crooks out of action. He was in the lineup on Wednesday, but will kick off the day on the bench. Fermín has been in left field a lot since Lars Nootbaar was traded away. Torres is getting his first start since Aug. 9. Prieto has been consistently getting time at third base recently. Arguably, Blaze Jordan should be getting more time at this point.

Again, this is the biggest series of the season so far for St. Louis. If the Cardinals can come away with a series win, or even a sweep, it will go a long way. St. Louis has scratched and clawed its way back into playoff contention. Now, it's about staying hot.