St. Louis @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 20, 2019 ) St. Louis 2, Chi. Cubs 1

As the first-place St. Louis Cardinals look into their rearview mirror, the image of the Chicago Cubs appears smaller each day as the clubs continue their four-game series at Wrigley Field on Saturday. After losing its first six contests in Chicago this season, St. Louis has won two straight in one-run fashion and leads Milwaukee by three games in the National League Central while opening up a five-game cushion on the Cubs.

Chicago paced the division by 3 1/2 games on the morning of Aug. 9 but are 19-20 since and losers of four straight after Friday's 2-1 setback while the Cardinals are 29-12 during that span. The Cubs also fell two games behind the Brewers for the final NL wild card after Milwaukee beat Pittsburgh 10-1 on Friday. St. Louis' Dakota Hudson is 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA over his last seven starts - pitching at least six innings in each - and takes the ball Saturday opposite Jose Quintana. “I just feel more confident with what I’m doing,” Hudson told reporters. “Attack it and know that I belong here. That’s a little bit of a different approach, mindset-wise, but I feel getting deep in the games is (how) I’m going to have the best value for this team going forward. ..."

TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, MLB Network; FS Midwest (St. Louis), WGN (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Dakota Hudson (16-7, 3.35 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Jose Quintana (13-8, 4.37)

Hudson allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings of a 4-2 victory over Washington on Monday. The 25-year-old Tennessee native's only loss since Aug. 3 was a 2-1 setback against Colorado at Coors Field on Sept. 11, when he yielded two runs in six frames. Hudson makes his first start against Chicago after recording two scoreless relief appearances totaling 1 1/3 innings last season.

Quintana permitted five runs and eight hits over 2 1/3 innings of the Cubs' 16-6 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday, raising his ERA to 7.65 over his last five starts. The 30-year-old Colombian was 2-1 during that stretch and the Cubs went 3-2 thanks to scoring 33 runs in the wins. St. Louis' Paul Goldschmidt (8-for-13, three home runs, seven RBIs) and Marcell Ozuna (7-for-13, HR, five RBIs) have enjoyed success against Quintana, who is 5-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 starts versus St. Louis - 1-0, 3.60 in two turns this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. St. Louis 2B Kolten Wong (hamstring) did not play Friday after leaving Thursday's game and was to undergo an MRI.

2. Cubs RF Nicholas Castellanos collected his major league-high 57th double Friday. Castellanos is the third right-handed batter in history to record at least 25 home runs and 55 doubles in a season, joining Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg (26 and 63 in 1934) and Joe Medwick (31 and 56 in 1937).

3. Cardinals C Yadier Molina on Friday registered three of St. Louis' four hits, including a two-run single, and is 7-for-19 with four RBIs against Chicago this season.

PREDICTION: Cubs 3, Cardinals 2