The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will take the field on Thursday at Busch Stadium. First pitch is at 6:45 p.m. CT.
Chicago (49-51 SU and 52-48 RL) is starting left-hander Justin Steele. The 28-year-old is 10-3 with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in his 18 appearances this season.
St. Louis (45-57 SU and 51-51 RL) is starting right-hander Miles Mikolas. The 34-year-old is 6-5 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in 22 outings.
The Cardinals are -114 moneyline favorites and the game total is 8.5 runs scored.
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Chicago is only two games under .500 and will likely not be sellers at the trade deadline with the NL Central crown still feasible. Winners of six of its last seven, is it a legitimate threat to Milwaukee and Cincinnati?
The Cubs score 4.86 runs per game (10th) and hit .253 (13th) with a .738 OPS (12th). They've launched 113 home runs (18th) and stolen 83 bases (7th) this year. The Chicago pitching staff sports a 4.11 ERA (13th) and a 1.27 WHIP (17th) with 44 quality starts.
No. 7 makes it 7-1 in the 7th!
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— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 26, 2023
Steele will take the hill for the visitors in game one of the four-game series. The third-year pro gave up two runs and six hits with nine Ks in his last start, a 6.1-inning win over the Cardinals. It was a much better performance than his last outing when he surrendered ten hits and six runs in a loss to Boston. Steele, who has a 96:21 K:BB ratio, has held 15 of 18 opponents to three or fewer runs.