Cardinals at Cubs
The Chicago Cubs hope to continue the trend that has seen the home team win every game in the season series when they host the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night. The Cubs improved to 5-0 versus the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in 2019 with Saturday's 9-4 victory that was their fifth in the last six games since being swept in St. Louis last weekend and kept them in a virtual tie with Milwaukee atop the National League Central.
Chicago (36-27) is thriving in clutch situations of late, hitting .362 with runners in scoring position in its last six games after batting .163 in such situations over the previous 25 contests. Cubs shortstop Javier Baez has four homers and 11 RBIs in his last seven home games after driving in a pair Saturday. The Cardinals (31-31), who began their season-high 10-game road trip Friday, got a three-run homer from Marcell Ozuna (team highs of 17 home runs and 54 RBIs) in a four-run first inning Saturday. The Cubs' Kyle Hendricks on Sunday hopes to continue his mastery of St. Louis and opposes Adam Wainwright, who defeated Chicago in his last outing.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (5-5, 4.34 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Kyle Hendricks (6-4, 3.16)
Wainwright allowed two hits and seven walks while striking out eight over eight scoreless innings of a 2-1 victory over Chicago on June 2. The Georgia native had yielded 12 runs in 15 innings over his previous three starts (1-2). Baez is 3-for-22 with seven strikeouts against Wainwright, who is 16-11 with a 4.02 ERA in 47 games (38 starts) against the Cubs that includes permitting a season-high six runs in five innings of a 13-5 loss at Wrigley Field on May 5.
Hendricks pitched a four-hitter with three strikeouts in a 4-0 victory over St. Louis on May 3, starting a run in which he is 5-0 with a 2.09 ERA in his last seven starts. The 29-year-old has struck out 26 in 21 innings over his last three outings (2-0), including 10 in a 6-3 victory over Colorado on Tuesday. The Cardinals' Matt Carpenter is 7-for-41 with 14 strikeouts and two home runs against Hendricks, who is 6-2 with a 3.05 ERA in 15 starts versus St. Louis.
WALK-OFFS
1. St. Louis 1B Paul Goldschmidt is batting .304 in 102 career at-bats at Wrigley Field but is 3-for-19 this season.
2. Baez has hit a major league-most nine of his 16 home runs this season to the opposite field.
3. The Cardinals on Saturday placed IF Jedd Gyorko on the 10-day injured list (back) and purchased the contract of IF Tommy Edman from Triple-A Memphis. Edman on Saturday struck out as a pinch hitter in his first major league at-bat.