The traffic on Route 66 will be heavy with Cubs fans taking the quick trip to St. Louis when their team pays a visit to the rival Cardinals for a four-game series this week. The Cubs aren’t in the best form heading into the series, but neither will the Cards, whose offense has fallen off from years past.
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[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals Series Preview
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
When: May 12-15, 2014
First game line: Chicago Cubs (+150) at St. Louis Cardinals (-170); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines
Keys to the Series
The defending NL champion St. Louis Cardinals have been remarkably inconsistent for the first two months of the season, hence their 19-19 record. Most of their struggles can be traced to a misfiring offense. After finishing in the top two in runs scored for the past three years, the Cards are currently rank just 11th in the NL in runs and next to last in home runs.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Matt Holliday (.275/.366/.373) has had a good start to the season, but the likes of Yadier Molina (.133 BA) and Allen Craig (.185 BA) have both been slumping in May.
Perhaps the most consistent part of the Cards’ team has been its rotation. The Cardinals’ four starters in the series (Tyler Lyons, Adam Wainright, Michael Wacha and Lance Lynn) have gotten through at least the fifth inning all but once this season. But they’ll need some run support from their silent bats. St. Louis is 6-1 SU in their last 7 home games against the Cubs.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have been consistent throughout the season – consistently bad. After a three-game sweep by the Braves, the last place Cubs are now just 1-7 in their last eight games.
Offense has similarly been hard to come by for the Cubs. They’ve scored four or more just once in nine games and are dead last in the NL in hits.
The Cubs did take two of three from the Cards earlier this month, and they did it with pitching. Game 1, 2 and 4 starters Travis Wood, Jake Arrieta and Jeff Samardzija all started in that series and pitched very well. Samardzija and Game 3 starter Jason Hammel have averaged around seven innings per outing, and neither has given up over three runs in a start this season.
Pitching Matchups
Game 1 – CHC Travis Wood (2-4, 4.75 ERA) vs. STL Tyler Lyons (0-2, 3.43 ERA)
Trends:
Cubs are 0-5 in Woods’ last five road starts
Game 2 – CHC Jake Arrieta (0-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. STL Adam Wainwright (6-2, 2.02 ERA)
Trends:
Cubs are 6-1 in Arrieta’s last seven starts
Cardinals are 5-1 in Wainright’s last six starts
Game 3 – CHC Jason Hammel (4-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. STL Michael Wacha (2-3, 2.85 ERA)
Trends:
The total has gone under in Hammel’s last four road starts
Cardinals are 0-5 in Wacha’s last five starts
Game 4 – CHC Jeff Samardzija (0-3, 1.45 ERA) vs. STL Lance Lynn (4-2, 3.83 ERA)
Trends:
Cubs are 1-7 in Samardzija’s last eight starts.
Writer’s Prediction
With both line-ups struggling and both pitching staffs dealing, expect a low-scoring series throughout. But the Cardinals have the bigger bats and the homefield advantage, and the should pull out the series win, starting with Game 1. Take St. Louis -170 at home on Tuesday.
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