Cubs v. Cardinals – Series Preview: August 11-14; TV Info, Pitching Match-ups, More
The Chicago Cubs (71-41) are a team on fire as they head into a pivotal series against the St. Louis Cardinals (60-54). They’ve won 12 of their last 13 games since Aroldis Chapman made his first appearance in a Cubs uniform. They are riding a 9 game winning streak and have just swept three straight series. You can bet that the Cardinals are keenly aware of all of that and will be up and in the face of the Cubs in this four-game series.
Game times and broadcast info
- Thursday, August 11 at 7:05 PM CDT on CSN, MLBN (out-of-market only)
- Friday, August 12 at 1:20 PM CDT on ABC 7, MLBN (out-of-market only)
- Saturday, August 13 at 1:20 PM CDT on ABC 7
- Sunday, August 14 at 7:08 PM CDT on ESPN
Starting pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | K/BB |
| 8/11 | Jon Lester | 32 | L | 2.93 | 12-4 | 3.50 |
| Carlos Martinez | 24 | R | 3.29 | 10-7 | 2.30 | |
| 8/12 | Jake Arrieta | 30 | R | 2.59 | 13-5 | 2.86 |
| Adam Wainwright | 34 | R | 4.34 | 9-6 | 3.03 | |
| 8/13 | Kyle Hendricks | 26 | R | 2.17 | 11-7 | 3.20 |
| Luke Weaver | 22 | R | – | – | – | |
| 8/14 | John Lackey | 37 | R | 3.56 | 9-7 | 3.60 |
| Mike Leake | 28 | R | 4.79 | 8-9 | 4.36 |
What to watch for
- The Cubs are 12 games up on the second place St. Louis Cardinals and this series lines up to be one where the Cubs can put the Cardinals in a choke hold, just waiting for them to tap out. But the Cardinals are champions – whether we like it or not – and you can expect them to come out fighting for their lives. This series is going to be very intense.
- Building the Cubs bullpen was the main objective for Theo and Jed before the trade deadline, and they did a great job of it. With trades for Mike Montgomery, Joe Smith and Aroldis Chapman the Cubs beleaguered bullpen was suddenly a strength. With Pedro Strop leaving the game last night due to an apparent knee injury (MRI forthcoming) and Hector Rondon not pitching lately due to triceps soreness, the Cubs bullpen depth will almost assuredly be tested in this series.