St. Louis @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 25, 2014 ) St. Louis 6, Chi. Cubs 7
The St. Louis Cardinals finished last weekend in a first-place tie atop the National League Central, but their longest losing streak in nearly a year has quickly left them in a bit of a hole. The Cardinals, who continue their three-game set in Chicago on Saturday against the Cubs, overcame their season-high 6 ½-game deficit by going 10-5 in their first 15 games in July. St. Louis has dropped four straight since, allowing the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers to rebuild a three-game margin.
The Cardinals have not helped themselves versus the cellar-dwelling Cubs, who are the only division foe St. Louis does not have a winning record against this season (5-5). Chicago sent St. Louis to its fourth straight setback – matching its longest losing streak since Aug. 7-10 – and evened the season series with a 7-6 victory in Friday’s opener. The win was only the Cubs’ second in seven games since the All-Star break and came after getting outscored 21-6 over the last two contests against the offensively-challenged San Diego Padres.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), CSN Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Shelby Miller (7-8, 4.25 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (5-2, 2.12)
Miller came out of the bullpen to throw a scoreless frame on Sunday after the Cardinals opted to temporarily bump him from the rotation to give him some rest. The 23-year-old, who is fourth in the majors with 55 walks and 0-3 with a 6.03 ERA over his last six starts, was tagged for four runs over five innings in his last turn on July 10 in a 9-1 loss to the Pirates. Miller has yet to surrender a run to the Cubs in two career appearances (one start) spanning 5 2/3 innings.
Despite being weak from a three-day battle with the stomach flu in Sunday’s 3-2 setback against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arrieta managed to strike out eight over 6 2/3 innings, only to suffer his first loss since May 27. The Missouri native yielded three runs on four hits and three walks for the second consecutive outing and has limited opponents to three runs or fewer in nine straight turns. Arrieta has been masterful in his career versus the Cardinals, posting a 1-0 record and 0.55 ERA in three all-time starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Cardinals rank last in the NL with 67 home runs, but are tied with the Colorado Rockies for the second-most in the NL this month (19), trailing the Cubs’ major league-best 25 July home runs.
2. St. Louis 3B Matt Carpenter’s three-hit game in the opener gave him a league-high 95 multi-hit games since the start of the 2013 season – one more than Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen.
3. The Cubs are 4-13 since the July 4 trade that sent RHPs Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the Oakland Athletics.
PREDICTION: Cubs 4, Cardinals 3