Cardinals look to end 3-game losing streak against Cubs
ST. LOUIS - Chicago Cubs (83-77, third in the NL Central) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (90-70, first in the NL Central)
St. Louis; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.92 ERA) Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (14-9, 3.98 ERA)
LINE: Cardinals -187; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: St. Louis enters the matchup as losers of their last three games.
The Cardinals are 45-29 against teams from the NL Central. The St. Louis pitching staff owns a team ERA of 3.83, Jack Flaherty paces the staff with a mark of 2.85.
The Cubs are 36-38 against the rest of their division. Chicago has hit 252 home runs this season, sixth in the National League. Kyle Schwarber leads the team with 37, averaging one every 14.1 at-bats. The Cubs won the last meeting 8-2. Brad Wieck recorded his second victory and Ian Happ went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and two RBIs for Chicago. Andrew Miller took his sixth loss for St. Louis.
TOP PERFORMERS: Paul Goldschmidt leads the Cardinals with 33 home runs and is batting .257. Yadier Molina is 14-for-41 with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for St. Louis.
Schwarber leads the Cubs with 37 home runs home runs and is slugging .528. Happ is 10-for-24 with four doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 6-4, .237 batting average, 4.15 ERA, outscored by three runs
Cubs: 1-9, .220 batting average, 4.65 ERA, outscored by 14 runs
Cardinals Injuries: Michael Wacha: (shoulder), Jordan Hicks: (elbow), Tony Cingrani: (shoulder), Brett Cecil: (wrist/forearm), Lane Thomas: (wrist), Kolten Wong: (hamstring).
Cubs Injuries: Allen Webster: (hand), Brandon Morrow: (elbow), Cole Hamels: (shoulder), Kendall Graveman: (elbow), Xavier Cedeno: (wrist), Nicholas Castellanos: (groin), Albert Almora Jr.: (knee), Kris Bryant: (ankle), Javier Baez: (thumb).