The St. Louis Cardinals (70-53, 69-54 RL, 58-61-4 O/U) and the Chicago Cubs (53-70, 64-59 RL, 53-61-9 O/U) wrap up a five-game NL Central series on Thursday afternoon. The Cardinals give the nod to Dakota Hudson. The Cubs will have Marcus Stroman on the mound, looking for his first win of the month. The Cards lead the season series 9-5.
Dakota Hudson will make his 23rd start of the season in the finale. Hudson struggled again in his latest effort, conceding four runs on five hits in 4.1 innings against the Diamondbacks, and was able to finish with a no-decision in a game the Cards won. The right-hander is having some difficulty on the mound, allowing nine runs in his last 13.1 innings, and enters with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP accompanied by a 6-6 record in 114.1 innings of work. Hudson has fared well against the Cubs, going 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA in 23 innings.
The Cards have not lost a series all month and now have to be considered World Series contenders on par with the Dodgers and Yankees. They have a rather easy schedule remaining and it shouldn't be hard to secure the NL Central considering they feature a 4.5-game lead. The Cards have won nine out of their last ten games ove rall.
The Cards have a good young player in Nolan Gorman who is developing into a star. The 22-year-old continues to deliver, recording seven RBIs and an .824 OPS this month and has 13 homers, 32 RBIs, and a .770 OPS on the season. Gorman has two homers and four RBIs against the Cubs.
The Cardinals are posting 4.88 runs, good for third overall. The pitching staff has filed a 3.73 team ERA, placing them 11th in the big leagues.