Cubs at Cardinals
The Chicago Cubs ended their recent offensive funk in a big way in the opener of their three-game road series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and they’ll try to keep the bats going in the second game Saturday. After being shut out in their previous two games, the Cubs broke out in a 13-5 win Friday, beating the Cardinals for only the second time in six meetings this season and remaining 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central.
Chicago slammed three home runs among its 14 hits Friday, including Kris Bryant’s first in 25 games since May 14, ending the longest drought of his career. The 13 runs allowed marked a season high for St. Louis, which will turn to ace right-hander Carlos Martinez to try to quiet Chicago’s bats. The Cardinals also smacked three homers as they matched their highest scoring output in their previous four games. St. Louis has lost four of its last five to fall five games behind the Brewers.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, Fox
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 3.48 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Carlos Martinez (3-3, 2.50)
Hendricks has lost three straight starts, although he pitched well in two of them. The 28-year-old allowed only one run and three hits over five innings Sunday against Pittsburgh, but the Cubs scored just one run for the third straight time he took the mound. Hendricks hasn’t faced the Cardinals yet this season, but he is 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 10 meetings.
Martinez is working his way back into form after spending a month on the disabled list with a right lat strain. In his first two starts since coming off the DL, the 26-year-old has walked 12 in 7 2/3 innings, and he was tagged for five runs in 3 2/3 frames in a loss at Cincinnati on Sunday. Martinez is 4-4 with a 4.53 ERA in 24 games (14 starts) against the Cubs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cubs 2B Javier Baez is 12-for-31 with three homers during a seven-game hitting streak against the Cardinals, scoring at least one run in each of those contests.
2. Cardinals OF Tommy Pham is 11-for-38 during a nine-game hitting streak, while OF Marcell Ozuna is 12-for-30 during an eight-game streak.
3. St. Louis 1B Jose Martinez was placed on the paternity list before Friday’s game so he could be present for his daughter’s birth in Venezuela. He is expected to miss the rest of the series.