Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals – Series Preview (July 20-23): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (45-50) were able to take two of three from the putrid Washington Nationals to at least keep within shouting distance of the top of their division. The final two games of the series saw Chicago score 25 runs against Washington’s disastrous bullpen. They now face another must-win series as the rival St. Louis Cardinals (43-53) come to Wrigley for four.
The Cards have come out of the All-Star break on fire, winning their first two series and riding a five-game winning streak that has pulled them out of last place. The hitting has been leading the way, as they’ve averaged 6.5 runs a game over the last six.
Nolan Arenado has bounced back from a slow start and now has 21 homers with an .866 OPS. The Cardinals third baseman isn’t even the only Nolan having a big offensive year as second baseman Nolan Gorman has 19 dingers and an .807 OPS.
The pitching is still an issue for Oliver Marmol‘s squad with a 4.52 team ERA. Jordan Montgomery has been the most consistent starter in the rotation and Adam Wainwright‘s career may be done after injuring his shoulder. Closer Jordan Hicks continues to have issues but has been somewhat better lately.
The Cubs are catching the Cards at the wrong time but no matter the team’s respective records, these are always hard-fought games. St. Louis would love to make their rivals sellers just like they are, all we can hope for is that North Siders still have a little bit of fight left this season.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Thursday, July 20 at 7:05pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee.
- Friday, July 21 at 1:20pm CT on Apple TV+.
- Saturday, July 22 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
- Sunday, July 23 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/20 | Marcus Stroman | 32 | R | 2.88 | 10-6 | 3.39 | 2.40 |
| Steven Matz | 32 | L | 4.86 | 0-7 | 4.31 | 2.61 | |
| 7/21 | Justin Steele | 28 | L | 2.96 | 9-3 | 3.08 | 4.35 |
| Jack Flaherty | 27 | R | 4.29 | 7-5 | 4.07 | 1.88 | |
| 7/22 | Drew Smyly | 34 | L | 4.50 | 7-7 | 4.83 | 2.46 |
| Miles Mikolas | 34 | R | 4.14 | 6-5 | 3.95 | 3.46 | |
| 7/23 | Jameson Taillon | 31 | R | 6.05 | 3-6 | 4.93 | 2.91 |
| Jordan Montgomery | 30 | R | 3.14 | 6-7 | 3.49 | 3.48 |
What to Watch For
- Mike Tauchman has reached base 11 times in his last five games.
- Steele had his worst start of the season Sunday against the Red Sox allowing six runs.
- Seiya Suzuki had seven hits against the Nationals after a deep slump.
- Patrick Wisdom has three homers in his last four games after debuting a new mustache.