St. Louis @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2011 ) St. Louis 0, Chi. Cubs 3
THE STORY: The Chicago Cubs will look to complete a three-game sweep of their most hated rival on Sunday when they host the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals, who led the National League Central by a half game on July 26, now trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 8 1/2 games after dropping five of their last seven, including the first two games in Chicago. Red-hot third baseman Aramis Ramirez homered and Matt Garza pitched a complete-game shutout in Saturday's 3-0 victory.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUPS: Cardinals RH Jake Westbrook (9-7, 4.81 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Rodrigo Lopez (4-3, 4.66 ERA)
Westbrook has struggled over his last four starts, going 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 14-to-12. Prior to that skid, he'd had a run of seven straight outings without a loss from June 12 until July 31, when he allowed four runs over six innings in a home loss to Chicago. Westbrook is 2-2 with a 6.41 ERA in four career starts against the Cubs. Chicago first baseman Carlos Pena is 11-for-35 (.314) with four home runs and 11 RBIs against him.
Lopez was pounded in back-to-back starts at St. Louis and the Pittsburgh Pirates, but recovered nicely by winning his last two starts against the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros. He is 0-2 against the Cardinals in 2011, losing a June 5 relief appearance in addition to his July 30 start. Lopez hasn't had much luck against St. Louis in the past, posting a 2-4 mark with a gaudy 6.44 ERA. He has fared well at Wrigley Field this season, going 3-1 with a 3.34 ERA in nine games - five starts - at his home park.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS (66-60): St. Louis leads the National League in runs scored (591) but is just ninth during the month of August, scoring just 74 runs in 18 games while allowing 76. While the offense has slowed, a larger problem has been the bullpen — the Cardinals have blown 22 of their 57 save opportunities this season, the third-worst conversion rate in the National League. They have also failed to hold on in seven of 16 such situations since the All-Star break, with the team going 17-17 during that time (Milwaukee, by comparison, is 26-9).
ABOUT THE CUBS (56-70): Though well out of contention in the NL Central, Chicago is the second-hottest team in the division this month with a 14-5 mark. One of the main reasons for the surge has been Ramirez, who is 17-for-35 (.486) with four home runs during his nine-game hitting streak. The third baseman, who has raised his batting average from .282 to .297 during his current tear, leads the Cubs in home runs (24) and RBIs (79).
FINAL PITCH: The two lineups offer a stark contrast — the Cardinals have struck out fewer times (767) than any team in the National League, while the Cubs have drawn the fewest walks (303) of any team in baseball.