Cubs at Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals entered their three-game series with the visiting Chicago Cubs as the highest-scoring team in the majors, but they were no match for their National League Central rival's pitching staff in the opener. The Cardinals will try to get back to their run-scoring ways when they face Jason Hammel and the Cubs on Tuesday.
Former Cardinal John Lackey and a trio of relievers combined to limit St. Louis to five hits in a 5-0 victory on Monday. It was the first shutout of the season for St. Louis, which entered averaging a major league-best 7.08 runs per game. One of the only bright spots in the opener for home fans was an 0-for-4 performance by Jason Heyward in his first game back in St. Louis after jilting the Cardinals to sign with Chicago over the winter. Heyward, who is 2-for-12 with three strikeouts against scheduled starter Jaime Garcia, is 1-for-16 over his last five games after hitting safely in seven of his first eight contests with the Cubs.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Chicago Plus, FSN Midwest Plus (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jason Hammel (1-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (1-0, 2.40)
Hammel has put his rocky finish to last season behind him with two terrific outings to begin the 2016 campaign. The 33-year-old has allowed just one run and eight hits over 12 innings thus far, though his seven walks are a bit of a concern. Hammel is 2-3 with a 5.97 ERA in seven starts against the Cardinals and has posted a whopping 6.57 ERA in five outings at Busch Stadium.
Garcia turned in the best performance of his career last time out, striking out 13 in a one-hitter against Milwaukee. The 29-year-old issued just one walk in the gem, earning his first April victory since 2013. Garcia is 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA in six games (five starts) against the Cubs but hasn’t faced them since 2012.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Cubs are 10-0 when scoring four or more runs and 9-0 when hitting at least one homer.
2. The Cardinals activated INF Ruben Tejada (quadriceps) from the disabled list Monday, but the former Met will remain in a utility role behind rookie SS Aledmys Diaz.
3. Cubs CF Dexter Fowler is batting .378 after going 2-for-5 with a homer on Monday, but he is 0-for-9 with three strikeouts against Garcia.