Chicago Cubs: Playing both sides of the historic rivalry

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Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Let’s look at some active players who have played both sides of the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals rivalry, and will be playing this weekend.

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals enjoy one of the most historic rivalries in Major League Baseball. That rivalry will log another chapter this weekend as the Cubs travel to St. Louis to face the red birds.

An interesting story line coming into this series is the number of players on the two team’s rosters that have played on both sides of the rivalry. In fact, three players have played both sides and will be active for the three-game series. That number would be four, but Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward is on the 10-day DL with a finger injury.

Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into these players

John Lackey

John Lackey was acquired by the Cardinals at the 2014 trade deadline in a deal with the Boston Red Sox. In ten starts with the Cardinals, Lackey went 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 60.2 innings pitched.

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The following year, Lackey started 33 games for the Cardinals and went 13-10 with a 2.77 ERA in 218 innings pitched. That same year, Lackey struck out 175 batters and walked just 53 while finishing ninth in the NL Cy Young voting.

Entering the 2016 season and at the end of his contract, Lackey signed a two-year deal worth $32 million to become a member of the Cubs.

At age 37, Lackey tossed 188.1 innings and won 11 games for the Cubs in 2016. He also struck out 180 batters while striking out an average of 8.6 batters per nine innings.

So far, 2017 has not been kind to the now 38-year-old Lackey. In seven starts, Lackey is 3-3 with a 4.29 ERA and has 46 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched. Lackey has also given up eight home runs this season, making his 1.7 home runs per nine innings the highest mark of his career.

Lackey’s turn in the rotation means he will miss the series against the Cardinals, but the veteran is scheduled to start against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday at Wrigley.

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Jon Jay

The Cardinals drafted Jon Jay in the second round of the 2006 draft. After making his major league debut on April 26, 2010, Jay spent the next six seasons with St. Louis.

Averaging 126 games a year with the Cardinals, Jay slashed .287/.354/.384 in over 2,600 plate appearances. Jay’s best season with St. Louis came in 2012 when he slashed .305/.373/.400 with four home runs and 40 RBI in 117 games.

After a one-year stint with the San Diego Padres, Jay inked a one-year, eight million deal with the Cubs at the beginning of the 2017 season.

Jay has appeared in 30 games thus far for the Cubs and is slashing .303/.410/.379 with four RBI and three doubles. What has been impressive about Jay so far this season is his ability to get on base. If he maintains his current OBP of .410, Jay will set a new career high. That would be exactly what the Cubs need as they have used Jay primarily at the bottom of the lineup to get on base for Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant. His high OBP also factors in nicely when Jay is called upon to pinch-hit in the late innings.

Dexter Fowler

Dexter Fowler spent the first seven years of his big league career with the Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros before joining the Cubs in 2015.

Fowler appeared in 156 games for the Cubs in 2015 and slashed .250/.346/.411 with 17 home runs and 46 RBI. His 109 OPS+ in 2015 would be bested by his 127 mark in 2016 as Fowler would post 13 home runs and 48 RBI, and serve as the primary leadoff man for the Cubs’ World Series title run.

Unable to come to terms with the All-Star center fielder, the Cubs were forced to sit back and watch their rival sign Fowler to a five-year deal.

Thus far, Fowler has not been the player he was for the Cubs. Fowler has appeared in 29 games so far for St. Louis and is slashing .236/.311/.434 with four home runs and 12 RBI.

The 31-year-old Fowler is dealing with a shoulder injury that may limit his playing time during the series. Fowler has been able to pinch-hit of late and will return to the lineup against the Cubs on Friday.

Jason Heyward

As mentioned above, Jason Heyward will be unable to play in this series due to a finger injury. However, it is worth mentioning that Heyward spent one season with the Cardinals after five seasons with the Atlanta Braves.

Heyward appeared in 154 games for the Cardinals in 2015 and slashed .293/.359/.439 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI.

Following that stellar season, the Cubs inked Heyward to an eight-year, $184 million deal at the beginning of the 2016 season. It is safe to say that deal backfired on the Cubs in 2016.

In 142 games, Heyward slashed .230/.306/.325 with seven home runs and 49 RBI. The four-time Gold Glover recorded an OPS+ of 71 in 2016.

Heyward was in the news most of the off-season as he worked to re-tool his swing for the 2017 season. Early signs point to positive change for the 27-year-old.

In 28 games this season, Heyward is slashing .253/.333/.364 with three home runs and 17 RBI. Even with the changes, Heyward still has some work to do if he wants to return to his 2015 form.

Heyward will be able to return on May 16 if his finger injury is resolved.

Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports /

Cubs, Cardinals – It doesn’t matter what uniform you wear

Yes, the Cubs and Cardinals are long-time rivals, but it’s the fact that some players will be playing against their former team that really sets this rivalry off. Whether it’s in Chicago or St. Louis, it feels the same to the player. The players have made this what it is.

Next: Chicago Cubs: Putting the finger on the pulse of the 2017 club

In the eyes of Cubs fans, Dexter Fowler will always be a Cub after helping them win the World Series in 2016, while John Lackey had one of the best seasons of his career as a Cardinal. In the end, it’s the players that make this rivalry so special, and the Cubs and Cardinals are lucky enough to have benefited from some of the same players.

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