Preview: Cubs at Cardinals

[April 04, 2017]  If Opening Night was any indication, the rivalry between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs will provide plenty of thrills in 2017. The Cardinals host the reigning world-champion Cubs for the middle contest of their three-game series Tuesday after claiming a walk-off win in the season opener.

Randal Grichuk’s RBI single in the ninth inning gave the Cardinals the victory in the roller-coaster contest after Chicago’s Willson Contreras tied the game with a three-run blast in the top of the frame. Grichuk also hit a two-run homer in the eighth and is a career .271 hitter with 17 extra-base hits in 36 career games against the Cubs. "Speechless," Grichuk told reporters. "Obviously, doing it against our (National League) Central rival, the Cubs, who won it last year, that adds to it. It's just a night I won't forget." Chicago continues to give St. Louis closer Seung Hwan Oh fits, as they’ve accounted for three of the six home runs he has allowed in his brief career - including two by Contreras.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Chicago Plus, FSN Midwest (St. Louis)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (2016: 18-8, 3.10 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (2016: 13-9, 4.62)

Arrieta took a step back from his 2015 Cy Young Award-winning season a year ago but still won 18 games and posted the third-best ERA of his career. The 31-year-old had success on the road in 2016, going 11-3 with a victory in his only outing in St. Louis. Arrieta is 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 13 career starts against the Cardinals, including a 3-1 mark last season.

For the first time since 2012, Wainwright will not make his season debut on Opening Day. The 35-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career, but he won four of his five decisions over the last month of the 2016 campaign. Wainwright is 13-8 with a 4.25 ERA in 40 career games (31 starts) against the Cubs, including a 1-1 mark and 7.98 ERA in three outings last season.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Cardinals signed OF Stephen Piscotty to a six-year, $33.75 million contract extension with a $15 million club option for 2023.

2. Cubs LF Kyle Schwarber, who was 0-for-12 in the regular season against the Cardinals before going 2-for-3 with a double on Sunday, is hitless in three at-bats against Wainwright.

3. St. Louis 1B Matt Carpenter is 1-for-27 with eight strikeouts versus Arrieta.

PREDICTION: Cubs 5, Cardinals 3

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