St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs

A bitter rivalry will be renewed when the Chicago Cubs play host to the St. Louis Cardinals as each team winds down the first half of the baseball season.

The Cardinals (47-40) hold the position many thought the Chicago Cubs (41-41) would be in as the All-Star break dawned, but inconstant play has placed them in third place, in danger of sliding further down.

St. Louis has not had the most consistent of seasons either as they have alternated first-place numerous times with the Milwaukee Brewers. Currently, the Cardinals have taken two of three in the first two road series on this trip, over the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers, and now look to beat another divisional mate on the road to end the first-half.

The St. Louis Cardinals were actually trailing the Brewers heading into the grueling, three-city, nine-game road trip, but now have a two-game lead.

The end of the trip may be a little tougher because they have not had much success in Wrigley Field as of late, losing two of three in the first series there this season and going 8-18 there since 2006.

This is a different Cubs team than the last two years, however. A season ago, the Cubs led the NL in hitting, this season they are near the bottom. In losing the last two games of the three-game series with the Atlanta Braves, they scored two runs.

Perhaps facing Brad Thompson (2-5, 4.92) will help Chicago’s bats out if Thompson has a game like in his last outing when he allowed five runs and two home runs in just five innings of work in a 5-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

Opening the series for the Cubs will be  Rich Harden (5-5, 5.35 ERA), who is also trying to shake a tough outing in his last game when he allowed a career high seven runs on eight hits in a career-how two innings in a 11-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

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