The Chicago Cubs (28-40) and St. Louis Cardinals (45-25) will face off in a Tuesday night matchup at Busch Stadium. The first pitch is set for 8:15 p.m. ET and will air live on Fox Midwest and MLB.com.
During their previous meeting, the Cardinals swept the Cubs while allowing just one run and 16 hits. The Cardinals repeated their success Monday night during a 5-2 win, holding the Cubs to five hits.
The Cubs woes were due in large part to their inability to produce with runners in scoring position. Chicago went 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position during their past four games at Busch Stadium.
Chicago has dropped 10 of their last 15 games and have hit for a .203 average in an 11-game span.
"It's tough for the team," starter Travis Wood said Monday after giving up four runs over seven innings. "We're scratching and clawing trying to get everything we can right now and trying to put together quality ball games."
The struggling Cubs offense will have their hands full against the dominant Adam Wainwright (10-3). Wainwright is the league's first 10-game winner and has been especially dominant during his last five appearances, while recording a 1.64 ERA over that span.
"My whole pregame routine was kind of thrown out of the window," said Wainwright.
Jeff Samardzija (3-7) has struggled recently, but his poor record is due in large part to a lack of run support by the Cubs offense. Samardzija holds a 3.46 ERA and began the season with a 2-1 record in his first three starts.
He recorded a 1.13 ERA during the early portion of the season before hitting his recent struggles. During his last three, Samardzija has walked nine batters in 18 1/3 innings and is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA.
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