Chicago Cubs head to nation’s most boring city for the weekend

Chicago Cubs: Looking at the pitching matchups this weekend

Yu Darvish takes the ball opposite Miles Mikolas in Friday’s opener, with both hurlers seeking to turn things around. Mikolas, who finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting last season after pitching to a 2.83 ERA and winning a league-best 18 games, has struggled badly in 2019. On the year, he carries a bloated 4.76 ERA and 4.85 FIP in 11 outings. That being said, he has been decidedly better at home than on the road – so that’s something to keep in mind.

As for Darvish, he gutted his way through seven-plus innings in some insanely hitter-friendly conditions last weekend at Wrigley Field against the Reds. The line score didn’t do much to assuage any fears about the right-hander, but you could easily make the case that it was his most important start as a Cub. 

On Saturday, Jose Quintana looks to stay on track against 23-year-old hurler Jack Flaherty. Chicago has won six of his last outings, according to MLB.com, and he’s been one of the most consistent pieces of a rotation that’s struggled to eat innings of late. If he can get back to his early season success, the Cubs stand a great chance of coming away with a win.

The two teams then turn around for an afternoon series finale Sunday with a pair of veteran hurlers on the bump. Cole Hamels takes the ball for Chicago with Adam Wainwright opposing him for the Cardinals. The latter clearly isn’t what he once was and Hamels has been brutal in his last two starts, lasting just four innings in both. Looking at the numbers, we could see a high-scoring affair.