Preview: Cubs at Cardinals

[May 12, 2017]  The St. Louis Cardinals have won a season-high six straight games to take over the top spot in the National League Central, and they catch the defending World Series champions in a slump this weekend. The Chicago Cubs have dropped five of their last six as they head to St. Louis for a three-game series against their nemesis that begins Friday.

Chicago’s starting pitching has struggled, but the team will get a look at a new arm with Eddie Butler getting the call to replace the injured Brett Anderson in the rotation. Butler will have to contend with a Cardinals lineup that has produced an average of 7.2 runs and 11.5 hits during its six-game winning streak. That’s with leadoff man Dexter Fowler limited to pinch-hitting duties for the past week after injuring himself while diving for a fly ball last Friday against Milwaukee. The Cubs have missed Fowler’s presence at the top of the lineup since he bolted via free agency following the championship run, as new leadoff man Kyle Schwarber has struggled to a .195 average and a .322 on-base percentage.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Eddie Butler (2016: 2-5, 7.17 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Mike Leake (4-1, 1.79)

Butler is a former first-round pick who never really put things together in parts of three seasons with Colorado. The 26-year-old has had difficulty keeping the ball in the park in 36 major-league appearances (28 starts), allowing 28 home runs over 159 1/3 innings. Butler is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in five starts at Triple-A Iowa this year, however, and has not served up a homer in 30 2/3 frames.

Leake has posted six straight quality starts to begin the season and has won his last four decisions. The 29-year-old gave up his first home run of the campaign while allowing a season-high three runs over seven innings in a win at Atlanta on Saturday. Leake is 9-5 with a 3.52 ERA in 23 career starts against the Cubs, but he went 0-3 with a 5.64 ERA in four meetings last season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo (15-for-40, two homers) and 3B Kris Bryant (9-for-20) have enjoyed success against Leake.

2. St. Louis INF Jedd Gyorko is 10-for-28 during his seven-game hitting streak while 1B Matt Carpenter is 7-for-21 with three homers during his six-game run.

3. The Cubs rank next-to-last in the National League with a .220 average with runners in scoring position.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 6, Cubs 3

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