The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals have played each other a total of 2,363 times but have never met in the postseason. That ends this Friday night, though, as the two clubs will finally be locking horns in the National League Division Series, which will be commencing at Busch Stadium.
This series is bound to be one for the ages and is certainly a must-see especially with the pair of premier hurlers, Michael Wacha and Jake Arrieta, who are the scheduled starters for Game 3, to continue showcasing their pitching prowess. That said, let’s take an in-depth look at how intense the battle ahead will be and how each team can get the better of the other to ultimately advance to the next round.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out our Game 1 previews of the Cubs vs. Cardinals and Mets vs. Dodgers.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals Series Preview
Series Schedule
Game 1 – Friday, October 9, 6:45 PM ET, Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals – view all MLB lines
Game 2 – Saturday, October 10, 5:37 PM ET, Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
Game 3 – Monday, October 12, 6:07 PM ET, St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
*Game 4 – Tuesday, October 13, St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
*Game 5 – Thursday, October 15, Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals
*If necessary
Betting on the Chicago Cubs
After emerging triumphant, 4-0, during their NL Wild Card showdown with the Pirates, the Chicago Cubs earned their first playoff win since 2003 and are one step closer to ending the ‘curse’. They have officially advanced to the NLDS but are in an even tougher situation going against the St. Louis Cardinals, who are the No. 1 team in the majors this season.
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Cubs, though, have proven to be a legitimate contender and a team not to be underestimated—just ask Pittsburgh. They have the luxury of having the likes of their ace Jake Arrieta (22-6, 1.77 ERA), who went the distance at PNC Park last night by throwing nine shutout innings, to make life tough for opposing batters. Arrieta also went 12-1 and had 0.75 ERA in the second-half of the regular season, which is the lowest ever in MLB history and the lowest by a Cubs’ starter since 1919.
But Arrieta isn’t the only source of optimism and confidence because the Cubs will also have a reliable veteran in Jon Lester (11-12, 3.34 ERA), who takes the mound this Friday in their series opener.
Lester, without a doubt, has had a pretty exceptional 2015 campaign, pitching for more than 200 frames for the fourth-straight year and also reaching at least 200 strikeouts for the second-consecutive season. The 31-year-old lefty is also well-accustomed to the pressure of the playoffs, owning a 6-4 win-loss record with a respectable 2.54 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 14 appearances (12 starts).
Their other pair of hurlers, Kyle Hendricks (8-7, 3.95 ERA), who is scheduled to start in Game 3 and Jason Hammel (10-7, 3.74 ERA), who is the probable starter for Game 4, makes the Cubs rotation even deeper and a more dangerous team to take down. Both right-handers have a combined 339/83 K/BB ratio in over 350 2/3 innings pitched.
Meanwhile, Chicago also has a formidable batting duo of Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant to lead the charge on offense. Rizzo leads the team in batting (.278), home runs (31), RBIs (101), OBP (.387) and hits (163) this season; while Bryant has been solid in his rookie year, holding a triple-slash line of .275/.369/.488.
Also, their shortstop in Starlin Castro could provide them a much-needed boost at the plate as he’s fared considerably well opposite the Cardinals, owning a .330 batting average with five homers and 33 RBIs throughout his career.
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Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals
Much to no one’s surprise, the three-time reigning St. Louis Cardinals are on top of the baseball world at this very moment. They are the only team in the majors to notch the 100-win mark and captured their third-consecutive NL Central crown. No wonder they are the top favorites to win the World Series this season.
One of the keys to this success has been their solid starting rotation, composed of Michael Wacha, John Lackey, Carlos Martinez, Lance Lynn and Jaime Garcia.
Wacha has been the Cards’ best starter without a doubt, bearing a team-high 17 wins with a 3.38 ERA and a career-best of 153 strikeouts under his belt in the regular season. But the month of September has been tough to swallow for the righty, as he has miserable 7.88 ERA through five starts in that time frame. He’ll have chance to relocate his form, though, when he toes the rubber on Monday night for Game 3.
Lackey, meanwhile, will be getting nod in their NLDS opener opposite the Cubs. He is 13-10 with a team-low 2.77 ERA this year and has valuable postseason experience—mainly with 2013 Boston Red Sox championship team—that makes him such an asset to have. The 36-year-old righty has also been exceptional at Busch Stadium, holding a 9-4 record with an impressive 1.93 ERA in over 17 starts. St. Louis went 12-5 in that stretch.
Unfortunately for the Cards, they’ve lost the services of Martinez, who was ruled out of the season due to right shoulder injury. Martinez led the Cards with 184 strikeouts this 2015 and his absence is will be big void to fill. But they still have Lynn or Garcia to serve as reliable replacements in their rotation for the series.
Another major reason to fear is their formidable offense that’s helmed by their hard-hitting Jason Heyward. Heyward is the team’s best batter with a .293 batting average and holds a hot bat at Busch Stadium with a .307/.388/.436 stat line. He’s also gotten the best out of the pair of Cubs’ starters, Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester, hitting 6-for-18 and 10-of-24 respectively.
Of course, there’s a guy named Matt Carpenter who can also have an offensive outburst at any given time. Carpenter has the most homers (28) and RBIs (84) for the Cards’ in the regular season and is currently on a five-game hitting streak, where he has gone 8-for-21 with three doubles, two homers and two RBIs under his name.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cardinals (+225) are pushed to the very limit but manage to come up big down the stretch and win the series in five.
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