Chicago at St. Louis

Chicago is way ahead in the division with little to prove. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks is great at home, but his ERA almost triples on the road (3.09 ERA) where he's walked 27 batters in 75+ innings (as opposed to 14 walks in 89+ innings at home). Hendricks is also 0-2 in six career starts against St. Louis. He faces a St. Louis offense that is outstanding at sixth in baseball in runs scored, #11 in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging. The Cardinals go with veteran Mike Leake, who is 9-3 in 21 career starts against the Cubs. The Cardinals remain in the thick of the NL Wild Card race as they sit one-half game behind the New York Mets for the second spot. St. Louis is 7-6 in the season series against the Cubs, plus 17-5 when their opponent scores five runs or more in their previous game, so back the motivated and talented home dog. Play St. Louis.