St. Louis @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 18, 2015 ) St. Louis 3, Chi. Cubs 8
The Chicago Cubs are closing in on clinching their first playoff appearance since 2008, but they haven’t given up on catching the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. A resurgent Starlin Castro homered twice in Chicago’s 8-3 win in the opener of a three-game set to pull the Cubs within six games of Cardinals and will try to help the Cubs make up more ground Saturday.
With the playoff race heating up, the longtime rivalry ran hot Thursday when St. Louis’ Matt Holliday and Chicago’s Anthony Rizzo were hit by pitches, the latter resulting in Cardinals reliever Matt Belisle’s ejection, and Cubs manager Joe Maddon was displeased with the Cardinals’ apparent retaliation in a lopsided game. “We don’t start stuff. We stop stuff,” Maddon told reporters. “We are not going to put up with that from them or anyone else.” Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha will try to cool off a Chicago lineup that has homered in 16 consecutive home games, one shy of the franchise record. Cubs left-hander Travis Wood will make a spot start two days after striking out five in a two-inning save Thursday at Pittsburgh.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FOX
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (16-5, 2.96 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Travis Wood (5-4, 4.11)
Wacha endured his worst outing of the season when he faced the Cubs on Sept. 8, allowing six runs over four innings to suffer his first loss since July 26. The 24-year-old rebounded with a victory Sunday at Cincinnati, holding the Reds to two runs and three hits over six frames. Wacha has allowed more than four runs only four times this season, and two of them have come against the Cubs.
Wood is working on a streak of five straight outings without allowing a run and six in a row without giving up an earned run. The 28-year-old has been solid since moving to the bullpen in mid-May but gave the Cubs a serviceable spot start Sept. 12 at Philadelphia with three scoreless innings. Wood was hit hard in his first two outings against St. Louis this season, allowing 10 runs over 7 2/3 innings, but he has allowed only one hit in four scoreless innings over the past two meetings, both relief appearances.
WALK-OFFS
1. Castro is batting .356 with five home runs in 33 games since losing the starting shortstop job to rookie Addison Russell after hitting .236 with five homers in 104 games prior.
2. St. Louis is 78-0 when leading after eight innings, and closer Trevor Rosenthal (45) is two save shy of matching Jason Isringhausen (2004) and Lee Smith (1991) for the single-season club record.
3. Rizzo has been hit by pitches 29 times this season, 11 more than anyone else in the majors.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 6, Cubs 4