St. Louis @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 22, 2016 ) St. Louis 7, Chi. Cubs 2
If the St. Louis Cardinals are going to climb back in the National League Central race, they probably need to start Thursday. The Cardinals’ hopes of catching the red-hot Chicago Cubs likely will be in serious jeopardy if they can’t gain some ground when the rivals square off for a four-game series at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs have won a season-high nine straight contests to pull out to a 12-game lead over the Cardinals, who have dropped seven of their last 11. Chicago’s pitching staff has been dominant of late, allowing two or fewer runs in 10 of the last 13 games as the Cubs have gone 12-1 over that stretch. Left-hander Jon Lester looks to continue that trend as he takes on hard-throwing right-hander Carlos Martinez. Lester is 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 10 home starts, while Martinez has excelled on the road, going 6-1 with a 2.28 ERA in nine outings.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), CSN Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Carlos Martinez (10-7, 3.29 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Jon Lester (12-4, 2.93)
After a string of 10 straight starts of allowing three or fewer runs, Martinez has given up at least four in consecutive outings. The 24-year-old surrendered a season-high seven runs - six earned - over five innings in a loss to Atlanta on Saturday. Martinez is 3-1 with a 4.74 ERA in 16 games (six starts) against the Cubs, who managed only one run and three hits in seven frames against him on April 20 but tagged him for six runs over five innings on May 25.
The Cubs have won Lester’s last four starts, with the 32-year-old notching the victory in three of them. He has posted a 2.55 ERA since the All-Star break and limited Oakland to two runs and six hits over seven innings in a victory on Friday, striking out eight along the way. Lester is 1-3 with a 2.56 ERA in six career starts against the Cardinals but has not faced them this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. St. Louis INF Jhonny Peralta, who hit his 200th career home run Wednesday, is 9-for-22 during his six-game hitting streak.
2. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo is 7-for-23 during his six-game hitting streak but just 4-for-17 versus Martinez.
3. Cardinals C Yadier Molina has reached base in 23 consecutive games, three shy of SS Aledmys Diaz for the team’s longest streak this season.
PREDICTION: Cubs 3, Cardinals 2