The division winners for the 2019 MLB regular season are pretty much set – except for the National League Central. This is still a three-team race with two weeks left to go, and two of those teams will be in action this Thursday when the Chicago Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals, live at 7:15 PM ET on FOX.
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by two games; they have Jack Flaherty (3.05 ERA) lined up to start Thursday’s contest. Flaherty has been on fire since early June, giving up just 10 earned runs over his last 13 starts combined. St. Louis won eight of those games to improve to 15-15 (UNDER 17-11-2) with the third-year righty on the mound.
It’s not official yet at press time, but Kyle Hendricks (3.26 ERA) is due up for the Cubs. The Dartmouth grad has a team record of 15-13 with the UNDER at 18-10, and aside from the occasional hiccup, Hendricks has also pitched very well of late, with eight quality starts in his last 12 appearances. 1B Anthony Rizzo (.920 OPS) sprained his ankle on Sunday and will be in a walking boot for 5-7 days.
