Cardinals at Cubs
The home team has taken each of the first seven meetings between the St. Louis Cardinals and rival Chicago Cubs this year, a trend the Cubs hope to keep alive when the teams continue a three-game series at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Chicago, which dropped three straight in St. Louis last weekend, improved to 4-0 against the Cardinals at home with Friday's 3-1 triumph.
Cole Hamels tossed eight scoreless innings to make Javier Baez's first-inning, two-run homer stand up as the Cubs improved to 22-11 at home. Pedro Strop got the save for Chicago hours after the club introduced new closer Craig Kimbrel at a press conference. Kimbrel will head to the team's spring facility and then to a rehab stint in the minors before joining a bullpen that entered Friday tied for second in the National League with 12 blown saves. Lefty Jon Lester will try to build upon Hamels' effort when he starts Saturday opposite Jack Flaherty for the Cardinals, who have lost 11 of their last 14 on the road.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Jack Flaherty (4-3, 3.76 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Jon Lester (4-4, 3.32)
Flaherty has allowed two runs in 11 innings while striking out 15 and walking none over his last two starts, including a five-inning effort in a no-decision against Chicago last Saturday. He also struck out nine Cubs in 5 2/3 frames at Wrigley Field on May 3, when he gave up three runs in a loss. Anthony Rizzo (7-for-11, two homers) has feasted on Flaherty, while fellow sluggers Kris Bryant (1-for-10, five strikeouts) and Kyle Schwarber (0-for-9, three strikeouts) have had their issues with the former first-round pick.
Lester went 0-3 with a 10.28 ERA over his final three starts in May, but opened June with a much better effort by limiting the Los Angeles Angels to a run in seven frames while striking out six. He has a 1.76 ERA in six home starts this year while posting 32 strikeouts and four walks in 30 2/3 innings. The five-time All-Star has a 2.85 ERA in 18 career starts against the Cardinals but has had some problems with St. Louis newcomer Paul Goldschmidt, who is 6-for-12 with a home run and two walks versus Lester.
WALK-OFFS
1. MLB on Friday announced a two-game series between the Cardinals and Cubs in London in 2020.
2. Baez is 8-for-20 with three home runs and eight RBIs over his last five games.
3. Goldschmidt is 1-for-13 through his last four contests.