St. Louis Cardinals (43-53, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (45-50, third in the NL Central)
Chicago; Thursday, 8:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Steven Matz (0-7, 4.86 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 73 strikeouts); Cubs: Marcus Stroman (10-6, 2.88 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 101 strikeouts)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -134, Cardinals +112; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to extend a five-game win streak with a victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago has gone 24-25 in home games and 45-50 overall. The Cubs have gone 20-13 in games when they hit at least two home runs.
St. Louis has a 21-27 record on the road and a 43-53 record overall. The Cardinals have the fifth-best team on-base percentage in MLB play at .331.
Thursday's game is the sixth time these teams meet this season. The Cardinals have a 3-2 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Patrick Wisdom is fourth on the Cubs with 25 extra base hits (seven doubles, a triple and 17 home runs). Cody Bellinger is 17-for-37 with two doubles, five home runs and 10 RBI over the last 10 games.
Nolan Arenado has 18 doubles, two triples, 21 home runs and 72 RBI for the Cardinals. Willson Contreras is 13-for-30 with four doubles, three home runs and six RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .271 batting average, 5.22 ERA, outscored opponents by 14 runs
Cardinals: 8-2, .285 batting average, 2.93 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs
INJURIES: Cubs: Dansby Swanson: 10-Day IL (heel), Nick Madrigal: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Brad Boxberger: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Hughes: 60-Day IL (knee), Adrian Sampson: 60-Day IL (knee), Nick Burdi: 60-Day IL (appendicitis), Codi Heuer: 60-Day IL (elbow), Ethan Roberts: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Cardinals: Tommy Edman: 10-Day IL (wrist), Adam Wainwright: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Drew VerHagen: 15-Day IL (hip), Jake Woodford: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler O'Neill: 60-Day IL (back), Ryan Helsley: 15-Day IL (forearm), Packy Naughton: 60-Day IL (forearm), Wilking Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
