Pregame Notes: Chicago Cubs look for Jake Arrieta to earn series split against St. Louis Cardinals

Cubs look for series split in matinée finale

The Chicago Cubs have found their offense again, as they’ve scored 19 runs so far in the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. But the bullpen has been a little questionable as the Cubs have only one win so far to show for it. Sending

(3-2, 2.84) to the mound tilts the odds in the Cubs favor, as he’s 3-0 with a 0.74 ERA in six career starts. The Cards will have

(1-1, 3.69) on the bump to try to help them win the series.

After struggling to score runs for a stretch, the Cubs (14-12) have responded with the bats, including rookies Addison Russell and Kris Bryant. Russell has gone 5-for-12 with three doubles and a home run while Bryant is 4-for-10 with a double, two RBIs, and four walks. While the Cubs have come up short in two of the first three games in St. Louis, they’ve held leads in all of them. The Cards overcame a five-run deficit in the opener, and a three-run hole in the second game.

The Cards (20-7) are the best team in baseball, and the first three games have proven that. Granted, the Cubs bullpen is suspect, but this team continues to battle and scratch out runs, however possible. Arrieta is likely to see Matt Adams in the lineup, as he’s gone 5-for-12 against the righty. While Matt Holliday has reached base in 26 consecutive games going back to last season, the trio of he, Matt Carpenter and Jon Jay are a combined 1-for-37 with 12 strikeouts against Arrieta.

First pitch is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium.

Here are the lineups for today’s finale: