St. Louis @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( May 30, 2010 ) St. Louis 9, Chi. Cubs 1
The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs have one of the best rivalries in baseball.
Unfortunately for the team that calls Wrigley Field home, that's about all the two clubs have had in common this season.
While St. Louis has used a recent hot streak to move into first place in the National League Central, Chicago has stumbled along in another lost season and is 10 games under .500.
The Cardinals are 21-16 against Central opponents while the Cubs are 16-27, the worst record within the division. Chicago can't even win at historic Wrigley, going 24-26 at home.
The Cardinals had an eight-game winning streak snapped Thursday in a 2-0 loss to Philadelphia in 11 innings. The loss, in which St. Louis managed only one hit, was the first since the All-Star break for the Cardinals, who have won nine of 11 and lead second-place Cincinnati by 1 1/2 games in the division.
The Cubs lost two of three at home to Houston, including a 4-3 defeat in 12 innings Wednesday.
This series will be just the second time the teams have met this season. The Cardinals took two of three at Wrigley in May.
Jeff Suppan, the latest reclamation project of manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan, hasn't been terrible since joining the Cardinals last month, but he's still winless in 21 appearances (eight starts).
The 35-year-old right-hander makes his seventh start for St. Louis. The Cardinals are 2-4 in games started by Suppan, who has pitched better than he did before being released by Milwaukee.
He has allowed 14 earned runs and 39 hits in 30 innings for the Cardinals, but his overall numbers will make it difficult for La Russa and Duncan to keep him in the rotation as St. Louis battles for the division title. Suppan hasn't won since Sept. 19, 2009.
Suppan has given up 89 hits in 61 innings and opponents are batting .355 against him. He's walked 24 and struck out 31 so it's obvious far too many hitters are reaching base for a pitcher who isn't overpowering.
The fact that the rotation is anchored by Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia gives the starters at the bottom of the rotation some rope, but it's still questionable how long the Cardinals can keep giving the ball to Suppan every fifth day.
Randy Wells is a good example of the way the Cubs' season has gone: high expectations and not much production. The right-hander has one win in his last 14 starts after going 3-0 in April.
Wells' lone start against the Cardinals, which also came at Wrigley Field, was his lowest point of the season. He didn't retire a batter in the first inning, giving up five runs and six hits.
The good news is Wells is pitching some of his best ball of the season. He has allowed only five earned runs in 27 2/3 innings over his last four starts.