Cubs-Cardinals Battle For NL Central This Weekend

The NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals come into Wrigley Field tonight for a four game series with the Chicago Cubs.

The Cards currently hold a three game lead over the Cubs.  The Cubs are currently tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2nd NL Wild Card spot.  Needless to say, this is a big series.  Over the next 11 days the NL Central and the NL Wild Card will be determined-- and these 7 games are the main attraction in a heated divisional race.  So much on the line for both franchises (Cardinals have not been in playoffs since 2005 and Cubs searching for franchise direction) that it is almost overwhelming.

Here are the expected matchups this weekend:

• Game 1: Kyle Hendricks (11-9, 3.26 ERA) vs. Jack Flaherty (10-8, 3.05 ERA)
• Game 2: Jose Quintana (13-8, 4.37 ERA) vs. Michael Wacha (6-7, 4.76 ERA)
• Game 3: Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.92 ERA) vs. Dakota Hudson (16-7, 3.35 ERA)
• Game 4: Yu Darvish (6-7, 4.02 ERA) vs. Miles Mikolas (9-14, 4.29 ERA)

Should be an exciting weekend.

Make sure to listen to ALL Chicago Cubs games on ESPN 1170 AM here in the Quad Cities.