On Sunday night, the St Louis Cardinals will take on the Chicago Cubs in the final game of their three-game series. The Cubs have won the first two games of the series and are 36-27 on the year while the Cardinals are 31-31.
Last Time Out
Jack Flaherty started on Saturday and went 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks and didn’t strike anyone out. The bullpen struggled as well, combining to allow five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five. The Cardinals exploded for four runs in the first inning but didn’t have a hit the rest of the game and didn’t have a ball leave the infield after the first inning.
Marcell Ozuna hit a big three-run home run in the first inning on a 3-0 count. Harrison Bader hit a solo shot onto Waveland Avenue in the first as well. Paul DeJong, Paul Goldschmidt, and Kolton Wong each recorded singles in the first.
Jon Lester was the winning pitcher on Saturday, going six innings and allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six. He settled in nicely after a rough first inning. The bullpen was stellar as well, going three scoreless innings and giving up no hits and no walks and striking out six.
Kyle Schwarber went 2 for 4 with a double and a homer and had 2 RBI. Victor Caratini had a big pinch-hit double in the sixth inning that drove in three to help the Cubs take their first lead of the game. Albert Almora went 2 for 4, and Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Willson Contreras each had one hit.
Looking At The Finale
Adam Wainwright will be on the mound in this one. He is 5-5 with a 4.34 ERA in 12 starts this year with a 1.37 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings. Last year, he went 2-4 with a 4.46 ERA in eight starts. Marcell Ozuna is the only Cardinal with success against Hendricks. He is 6 for 16 with a homer. Yadier Molina has had success, but he is on the injured list. Matt Carpenter is 7 for 31 with two home runs, while Paul DeJong is 2 for 10. Kolten Wong is 3 for 17, and Paul Goldschmidt is 0 for 5.
Kyle Hendricks will start for the Cubs here. He is 6-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 12 starts with a 1.10 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 77 innings. Last year he went 14-11 with a 3.44 ERA in 33 starts. The Cubs have seen a lot of Wainwright over his career and have not had a ton of success. Addison Russell is 6 for 15 and is the only one hitting above .300. Anthony Rizzo is 11 for 40 with a home run, while Jason Heyward is 6 for 23 with a home run. Kris Bryant is just 3 for 14, and Javier Baez is 1 for 11.
Cubs Complete Sweep
The Cubs are -170. Chicago has been one of the best teams in baseball after a rough start while the Cardinals have looked bad for the past month and a half. They struggle to score runs and will struggle again here against Hendricks. The Chicago bats heated up last night and should get to Wainwright here as he is past his prime and is not as sharp as he once was. Take the Cubs -170.
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