ST. LOUIS — Let’s get this out of the way right at the top:
The Cubs stink.
Or maybe we’re overcorrecting now that the Cubs — who opened the season 25-6 — have veered off course, losing seven of 11 games.
At 29-13, they still have the best record in baseball and the franchise’s best 42-game mark since 1918. Although they’ve lost two straight on the road for the first time all season, they’re still 15-7 away from Wrigley Field.
OK, so they don’t stink. And if they win another series in St. Louis — the Cubs took two of three at Busch Stadium in April — all will look great again.
THE MATCHUPS
Monday: John Lackey (4-2, 3.31) vs. Adam Wainwright (4-3, 5.92), 7:15 p.m., CSN+.
Tuesday: Jason Hammel (5-1, 2.31) vs. Michael Wacha (2-4, 4.03), 6:10 p.m., CSN, ESPN.
Wednesday: Jake Arrieta (8-0, 1.29) vs. Carlos Martinez (4-4, 3.56), 12:45 p.m., Ch. 7.
Cubs starting pitchers lasted at least five innings in each of the team’s first 40 games — a truly remarkable achievement — but that streak finally ended with Jon Lester in San Francisco.
This Cardinals series appears to set up well for the Cubs. Combined, Lackey and Hammel allowed a single run over 13 innings in their victories in St. Louis last month. Both Wainwright and Wacha have struggled all season, though Wainwright has come around a bit and — big “and” — happens to be on a 23-inning scoreless streak against the Cubs.
Martinez, probably the Cardinals’ top pitcher, has been less than ace-like. Ace stuff is, of course, a must when opposing Arrieta.
THE OPPONENT
The Cardinals are 5-5 in their last 10 games, 11-9 in their last 20 and 16-14 in their last 30. Maybe this simply is a .500ish kind of team, though fans here sure don’t want to believe that.
Stephen Piscotty is sizzling, batting .380 in May. Matt Carpenter leads the National League with 13 extra-base hits in May. The team’s bats have been far more potent than its arms, producing the second-most home runs in the N.L. and the most extra-base hits. The Cardinals have hit the 10-run mark nine times.
ON/OFF TARGET
On: the Cubs’ bullpen. It has been a quiet strength of late, with a 0.72 ERA in 25 innings over the last eight games. Only one of 15 inherited base runners has scored in that stretch.
Off: Anthony Rizzo. The big fella is mired in a 1-for-25 slump. The good news is, he has had a lot of success against Wainwright, Martinez and especially Wacha.
On: Ben Zobrist and Dexter Fowler. They rank third and fourth in the major leagues in on-base percentage at .439 and .435, respectively.
Off: early offense. The Cubs are 17-3 when they score first, but only 12-10 when they don’t. They’ve scored first in only three of the last 11 games.
On: Kris Bryant’s road power. He couldn’t buy a long ball away from home in 2015, hitting all but five of his 26 homers at Wrigley. Bryant already has five road homers (and four home ones) this season.
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Email: sgreenberg@suntimes.com
