The Chicago Cubs (52-51, 55-48 RL, 54-45-4 O/U) battle the St. Louis Cardinals (46-59, 52-53 RL, 52-48-5 O/U) as the division rivals conclude a four-game series on Sunday afternoon. The Cubs are giving the nod to Kyle Hendricks. The Cardinals will counter with Steven Matz. The Cubs lead the season series 7-4.
Kyle Hendricks will get the nod on Sunday. Hendricks was stellar in his previous start, conceding three runs on four hits in 6.1 innings against the White Sox and collected the win. The veteran has allowed just one run in two consecutive performances and is sporting a strong 3.38 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP complemented by a 3-4 record in 70 innings on the season. Hendricks has not pitched against the Cardinals this season and has a 2.69 ERA and a 13-3 record in 25 career meetings.
Chicago appeared out of wildcard contention but a recent hot streak has them in it. They have won three consecutive series and are now only 3.5 games out of a Wildcard spot. They issued a series win against the Cardinals followed by a two-game sweep of the White Sox before this series due in part to the incredible performance of Cody Bellinger.& #xA0;
Tauchman goes yard! pic.twitter.com/qUqfpcr1Db
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 28, 2023
Nico Hoerner is swinging a hot bat, collecting nine RBIs in his last ten games. The veteran second baseman is having a decent season, collecting 57 RBIs and a .729 OPS. Hoerner only has one RBI and a poor .671 OPS against the Cardinals this season. He is 1 for 5 with zero RBIs against Matz.
Chicago is scoring an average of 4.94 runs on the year, ranking them eighth. The pitching is decent, amassing a 4.11 team ERA, placing them 15th.