Kyle Hendricks looking to take a bite out of the Big Apple

The Chicago Cubs will look to redeem themselves after falling victim to a three-game weekend sweep while visiting the first-place St. Louis Cardinals, falling even further in the N.L. Central.

Tonight, Joe Maddon will call upon struggling right-hander, Kyle Hendricks who is also looking to bounce back from his most recent outing as the Cubs fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1 at Wrigley Field last Wednesday.

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Both Adrian Gonzalez and Jacob Turner took Hendricks deep during the early part of the ballgame – Gonzalez a solo bomb to left-center field while Turner launched a three-run bomb during the third to bust things wide open.

Chicago’s offense has been quiet as of late, as they’ve managed to score only 11 runs since Monday following the 12 run burst between Saturday and Sunday in Minnesota against the Twins. The last time these two teams met, the Cubs (39-35) walked away with a four-game sweep – outscoring the Mets (40-37) by 18-10.

One man who picked up a loss during that series and will begin tonight’s three-game set will be 28-year-old southpaw, Jon Niese. Niese (3-7, 4.12 ERA) was tagged for six runs (four earned) on six hits (one home run) with one walk and two strikeouts in 6 1/3 frames.

New York jumped all over Travis Wood early when Anthony Recker clubbed his first two home runs of the season, handing Niese the 3-0 lead until the Cubs began to fight back in the fourth.

Outfielder Dexter Fowler homered on a fly ball to left field and would score the game-winning run on a passed ball by Recker during the home half of the seventh inning, giving the Cubs the 6-5 lead.

Maddon’s young bucks completed their rally with a much-needed four-run fifth while Pedro Strop was issued the win and Hector Rondon recorded his eighth save of the season.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. central time and will aired live on CSN, ESPN and WBBM 780.

Here’s a look at tonight’s starting lineup’s:

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