Cubs at Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to match their season high with a fifth straight win and complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Chicago Cubs on Sunday. The Cardinals are aiming for a second straight series sweep after taking two games from the Chicago White Sox earlier this week.
St. Louis trailed 4-0 before rallying for an 8-6 win on Kolten Wong’s walk-off homer in the 10th inning Saturday – the Cardinals’ eighth comeback win of the season. It has been a potentially costly series for the Cardinals, though, as outfielder Tommy Pham (groin), catcher Yadier Molina (groin) and closer Bud Norris (triceps) all suffered injuries Saturday after reliever Dominic Leone (biceps) left Friday’s game and is expected to hit the disabled list. The Cubs snapped a streak of nine straight games in which they scored three runs or fewer on Saturday, but they suffered their fourth-straight loss when St. Louis tied it on Marcell Ozuna’s two-run double in the ninth and won it on Wong’s blast in the 10th. The Cardinals have homered in four straight games after going deep just once in their previous four contests.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Jon Lester (2-1, 2.73 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (4-1, 3.62)
Lester has not allowed an earned run in three of his six outings this season, including his no-decision against Colorado last time out. The 34-year-old yielded two unearned runs in 5 2/3 innings versus the Rockies. Lester beat the Cardinals on April 19, allowing one unearned run and two hits in six frames, and is 6-4 with a 2.16 ERA in 15 career meetings.
Wacha has won four straight decisions, and the Cardinals have won his last five starts. The 26-year-old allowed two runs and five hits over five innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Tuesday. Wacha missed the Cubs in the last series, which he probably didn’t mind – he is 4-7 with a 6.41 ERA in 16 career games (14 starts) against them, including an 0-3 mark last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Cardinals have played six extra-inning games (3-3), tied with Atlanta for the most in the majors.
2. Cubs 3B Kris Bryant is riding a five-game hitting streak but is just 5-for-21 during that stretch.
3. Chicago 1B Anthony Rizzo, who has homered in three of his last four contests, is 18-for-38 with three homers against Wacha.