Cubs' hated rival's refusal to be terrible so far is beyond irritating

It wasn't a series full of lopsided blowout wins that we may have anticipated, but the Chicago Cubs ground out a sweep of the lowly Colorado Rockies and get a well-deserved day off before welcoming the Cincinnati Reds to Wrigley Field this weekend.

Chicago entered Thursday at 35-21, a whopping 14 games over .500 which, given the preseason predictions surrounding the National League Central, you'd think would be enough to carry a sizable cushion in the division race. However, an unexpected foe is keeping pace with Craig Counsell's club in the St. Louis Cardinals.

Cardinals have been an early-season surprise in the NL Central standings

So, how have they done it? St. Louis has been a juggernaut at home, going 19-8 at Busch Stadium - but 13-16 on the road. The Cardinals' offense ranks fifth in the National League in OPS and third in hits - and that's paired nicely with a pitching staff that has been a pleasant surprise, anchored by a starting rotation that ranks fifth in the NL in ERA.

Second baseman Brendan Donovan has emerged as one of the league's best hitters, leading the league in hits and doubles - the latest in a long line of unexpected Cardinals players to burst onto the scene and look like an All-Star if, for no other reason, to be a thorn in the side of the Cubs.

That's more of a balanced attack than the Cubs have relied on to this point, with the pitching staff working to overcome the losses of, first, Justin Steele, then Shota Imanaga - not to mention the struggles of projected closer Ryan Pressly and, more recently, the Porter Hodge injury. Cubs pitchers rank eighth in the NL in ERA - and are doing what they can to hold the fort down until the front office brings in reinforcements ahead of the trade deadline.

The Cardinals have matched the Cubs game-for-game in May, going 18-7 for the month (Chicago is 17-8), keeping pace in the standings. The two teams don't go head-to-head until June 23, when they open a four-game series in St. Louis and won't meet at Wrigley until Fourth of July weekend.

There's still two-thirds of the season remaining and a lot can and will happen between now and game 162, but with the Cubs and Cardinals closing the regular season out with a three-game set at the Friendly Confines, the fact they're neck-and-neck in the standings heading into June has us circling that weekend on the calendar in late September. There could be a lot at stake.