Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals – Series Preview (June 2-5): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, What to Watch For
The Cubs (21-29) were able to win two games in a row to earn a four-game series split with the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. Now Chicago welcomes their oldest rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, to Wrigley for a very rare five-game series.
The Cardinals (29-21) have been very good so far in 2022, just two games back of Milwaukee in the Central. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are off to monster starts and are a real problem for opposing pitchers.
The pitching staff is also very good with Miles Mikolas and the ageless Adam Wainwright having very solid starts to their seasons. The bullpen has been a bit shakier but overall it is a quality unit.
The fact that this five-game series includes a doubleheader is going to put more pressure on a Cubs pitching staff that is already taxed to the max. David Ross may have to ask some of his pitchers to wear a rough outing to save the rest of his arms.
Even though things are not going great for Chicago there is nothing the fans would like more than to muck things up for the Cardinals. It certainly would be a bright spot in a gloomy season if the Cubs could take at least three games.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Thursday, June 2 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee Sports Network
- Friday, June 3 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee Sports Network
- Saturday, June 4 at 12:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee Sports Network
- Saturday, June 4 at 6:15pm CT on FOX
- Sunday, June 5 at 6:08pm CT on ESPN
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 6/2 | Keegan Thompson | 27 | R | 1.58 | 5-0 | 3.49 | 3.18 |
| Matthew Liberatore | 22 | L | 3.72 | 1-0 | 4.18 | 1.80 | |
| 6/3 | Marcus Stroman | 31 | R | 3.95 | 2-4 | 3.65 | 3.45 |
| Miles Mikolas | 33 | R | 2.67 | 3-3 | 3.40 | 3.92 | |
| 6/4 | TBA | ||||||
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| 6/5 | Justin Steele | 26 | L | 5.40 | 1-5 | 3.22 | 2.00 |
| Adam Wainwright | 40 | R | 2.75 | 5-4 | 3.63 | 2.40 |
What to Watch For
- Thompson is the Cubs’ best pitcher this year by a wide margin and now he’s been inserted into a starting role. He’s allowed only three runs in three games he’s started over 14 innings pitched, but he hasn’t lasted beyond the 5th inning. We get a chance to see Thursday if he can shine once again and, perhaps, if he can go beyond the 5th.
- Willson Contreras went 7-for-15 in the Brewers series including a double and two home runs. The Cubs need more offense and a hot-hitting Contreras would be a great start as they head into this series.
- Christopher Morel has reached base in his first 15 games in the major leagues, a franchise record. He’s turned into a high-energy leadoff solution for the Cubs and he loves the spotlight. Sunday night baseball on ESPN could be his National coming-out party.