Jason Hammel looks to keep things going opposite Wacha in St. Louis

Yesterday afternoon, the Chicago Cubs chased Lance Lynn early by tagging him for six earned runs on six hits while Dan Haren handled his business on the mound during the 9-0 victory over the first-place St. Louis Cardinals.

Skipper Joe Maddon will send right-hander Jason Hammel to the mound in hopes of keeping their winning streak alive which sits at four games entering tonight.

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Hammel (7-6, 3.55 ERA) closed out August with a 1-1 record in five outings and started out September the same way. The 33-year-old veteran surrendered four earned runs on seven hits including a home run and struck out four batters in five innings of work while hosting the Cincinnati Reds.

Rookie third baseman, Kris Bryant, hammered a game-tying two-run shot during the bottom of the eighth to lock things up at four apiece. With Hector Rondon on the mound to begin the ninth, things got out of hand and the game eventually slipped away from the Cubs (79-57) when Joey Votto launched a go-ahead three-run homer.

Taking the mound for the Cardinals (87-50) will be 24-year-old Michael Wacha. Wacha (15-4, 2.69 ERA) has emerged as the club’s ace this season, having to fill the gap after they lose veteran Adam Wainwright for the remainder of the season near the end of April.

He’s currently 4-1 with a 1.40 earned run average in his previous seven outings, allowing only seven earned runs on 39 hits while posting a 40-14 K/BB ratio across 45 innings of work.

Kyle Schwarber is still out of the lineup for the Cubs, so Chris Coghlan will remain in left field and Bryant will move over to the opposite side of the field. Austin Jackson will fill in for Dexter Fowler who had three RBI for the Cubs in yesterday’s victory.

First pitch is slated for 7:15 p.m. central time and will air live on CSN, WBBM 780.

Here’s a look at tonight’s starting lineup’s for these division rivals:

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