Cardinals Continue Chase of NL Central-Leading Cubs in Pivotal Series
Cardinals Continue Chase of NL Central-Leading Cubs in Pivotal Series originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Having won five of their last six games, the Cardinals are set to take on the NL Central-leading Cubs in a four-game series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
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This series marks the first time the Cardinals and Cubs have met this year. With a record of 46-31, the Cubs hold a 3.5 game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central.
The Cardinals enter the series with a record of 42-36, putting them 4.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. They trail the Brewers by one game for the final wild card spot.
Cardinals second baseman Brendan DonovanJoe Puetz-Imagn Images
Monday, June 23, 6:45 p.m. CT
How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM
Probable starters:
Cubs: Ben Brown (4-5, 5.57 ERA)
Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore (4-6, 4.08 ERA)
Tuesday, June 24, 6:45 p.m. CT
How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM
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Probable starters:
Cubs: Jameson Taillon (7-4, 3.84 ERA)
Cardinals: Michael McGreevy (1-1, 2.70 ERA)
Wednesday, June 25, 6:45 p.m. CT
How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM
Probable starters:
Cubs: TBD
Cardinals: TBD
Thursday, June 26, 1:15 p.m. CT
How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM
Probable starters:
Cubs: TBD
Cardinals: TBD
What to watch for:
1. Can Alec Burleson stay hot?
Alec Burleson may be the hottest hitter in baseball. He's slashing .367/.375/.733 with three homers in his last seven games and has a .981 OPS in the month of June. Burleson also has a .303 average against the Cubs in his career.
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2. How will the Cardinals bullpen fare?
The Cardinals have played five games in the last four days, and two of those games went to extra innings. With that, the bullpen is pretty taxed. Cardinals starting pitchers being able to go deep into games could prove to be a deciding factor in the series. It'll be a tough task, though, as the Cubs have one of the best offenses in baseball.
3. Shota Imanaga returns for the Cubs?
Over the weekend, Cubs manager Craig Counsell hinted at LHP Shota Imanaga rejoining the team's rotation during the trip to St. Louis. Imanaga, who has been out since early May with a hamstring injury, made a rehab assignment last Friday where he threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. The Cubs have yet to announce their starters for games three and four of the series.
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Related: Cardinals Expected to Recall Pitching Prospect Ahead of Crucial Cubs Series
Related: Cardinals' Donovan off to Surprisingly Slow Start in All-Star Voting
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
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