St. Louis @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2015 ) Chi. Cubs 3, St. Louis 4

The St. Louis Cardinals can squash the Chicago Cubs' hopes of winning the National League Central when the division rivals begin a three-game series at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. St. Louis sits five games ahead of second-place Pittsburgh and seven in front of Chicago with 16 contests remaining for each team.

The Cardinals extended their winning streak to four games by completing a three-game sweep at Milwaukee on Thursday with a 6-3 triumph. Rookie Tommy Pham enters Friday having gone 6-for-9 with two triples, a pair of homers and six RBIs in his last two contests for St. Louis, which is 4-3 on its 11-game road trip and has a magic number of two to clinch a playoff berth. Chicago climbed within two games of the Pirates for the first NL wild card by capturing the final three contests of their four-game series in Pittsburgh. Four players - including relief pitcher Clayton Richard - recorded two RBIs in Thursday's 9-6 victory by the Cubs, who pounded out 17 hits in finishing 7-4 on their 11-game trek.

TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), WLS (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (11-10, 3.17 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Dan Haren (9-9, 3.87)

Lynn lost his second straight start Saturday as he allowed three runs on four hits and three walks in six innings at Cincinnati. The 28-year-old native of Indiana has dropped five of his last eight outings, surrendering four or more runs in three of the setbacks. One of those was against Chicago on Sept. 7, when Lynn was tagged for six runs and seven hits over 2 1/3 frames to fall to 6-6 lifetime - and 0-3 this season - versus the Cubs.

Haren escaped with a no-decision at Philadelphia on Sunday after yielding four runs on seven hits and three walks in three innings. The Californian, who turned 35 on Thursday, is 2-2 in eight starts since being acquired from Miami but has worked more than six frames only twice. Haren improved to 5-3 in nine career starts against the Cardinals when he scattered seven hits over seven scoreless innings at St. Louis on Sept. 7.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Cardinals lead the season series 10-6 despite losing two of three at home last week.

2. Friday's contest kicks off a 10-game homestand for Chicago that includes three versus Pittsburgh next weekend.

3. St. Louis OF Matt Holliday (strained right quadriceps) struck out as a pinch hitter Thursday in his first appearance since July 29.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 7, Cubs 4