CHICAGO CUBS (9-3)

at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (7-5)

First pitch: Monday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Chicago -115, St. Louis +105, Total: 8.0

The Cubs and the Cardinals, hated rivals and National League Central powerhouses, kick off a three-game series at Busch Stadium.

The Cubs (9-3), believed by many to be the most talented team in baseball, come into this series with the second-best record in the majors. (Only the Nationals, at 9-2, have a better mark.) But it’s never easy for them—or any team, for that matter—to beat the division-rival Cardinals (7-5), especially in Busch Stadium. The second-place Cards, currently two games behind the division-leading Cubbies, have an opportunity to overtake first place, whereas Chicago has a chance to put some distance between the clubs. On the mound for Joe Maddon’s team will be veteran RHP John Lackey (2-0, 5.68 ERA, 11 SO, 4 BB in 12 2/3 innings), who has been the beneficiary of plenty of run support. On the hill for Mike Matheny’s squad will be RHP Mike Leake (0-1, 6.97 ERA, 7 SO, 4 BB in 10 1/3 innings), who has struggled in his first two starts with the Cards. The Cubs have played well away from Wrigley Field (5-1) and the Cardinals have been solid in St. Louis (4-2). This will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

The Cubs’ offense has produced, as expected (71 R – 2nd in MLB, 5.9 R/G). When you combine that with their 2.42 ERA (2nd in NL), you have one of the most complete clubs in the sport. The Cubs have more than enough power bats to survive the loss of LF Kyle Schwarber (0-for-4, 2 SO), who is out for the season after tearing his ACL and LCL. One through eight, the Cubs are relentless. Leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler (.375, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .510 OBP) has set the table nicely for the big boys. What’s scary for the National League is that Chicago’s most feared hitters haven’t really gotten going yet. SS Addison Russell (.237, 1 HR, 7 RBI), LF Jorge Soler (.235, 2 HR, 5 RBI), Kris Bryant (.229, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and Ben Zobrist (.214, 0 HR, 4 RBI) have found hits hard to come by, and while 1B Anthony Rizzo (.186, 3 HR, 11 RBI, .352 OBP) has gaudy power numbers, he’s been terribly inconsistent. High-priced free-agent acquisition Jason Heyward (.205, 0 HR, 7 RBI) has been a disappointment thus far. Rizzo has terrific career numbers against Leake (10-for-30 with 2 HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI and 3 BB), though Fowler (3-for-14 with 6 SO) and Heyward (1-for-14) have struggled against him.

So you think the Cubs can hit, huh? Well then you clearly haven’t paid much attention to the Cardinals, whose offense has been otherworldly (85 R – 1st in MLB, 7.1 R/G). Rookies Aledmys Diaz (.406, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .441 OBP, 5 2B) and Jeremy Hazelbaker (.394, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .421 OBP, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 SB) have been on absolute tears, and seven-time All-Star Yadier Molina (.311, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 4 2B) just continues to deliver. St. Louis has gotten RBI contributions from stalwarts Matt Carpenter (.250, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .411 OBP), Stephen Piscotty (.244, 2 HR, 8 RBI), Brandon Moss (.233, 4 HR, 10 RBI) and Matt Holliday (.225, 2 HR, 7 RBI). None of the Cardinals’ regulars have a significant number of at-bats against Lackey. Only SS Jhonny Peralta and C Brayan Pena have more than eight at-bats against the 37-year-old, but both players are on the 15-day disabled list.