There aren't enough superlatives to describe the wonder that is Cubs starter Jake Arrieta. The man has been a machine over the past two-plus months, and at this point it would be a surprise if he gave up a run.
The Cardinals won't be easily intimidated, however, as they get set to play in their fifth straight postseason. St. Louis has experience on its side, but a number of its experienced players are dinged up.
MORE: Spector's postseason predictions | Fagan's picks | MLB postseason schedule
This series will likely go down to the wire as youth takes on experience in a clash of rivals who have never before met in the postseason.
Series schedule
(All times Eastern)
Game 1: at St. Louis, Friday, 6:45 p.m., TBS
Game 2: at St. Louis, Saturday, 4:37 p.m., TBS
Game 3: at Chicago, Monday, TBD, TBS
Game 4 (if necessary): at Chicago, Tuesday, 4:37 p.m., TBS
Game 5 (if necessary): at St. Louis, Thursday, 4:37 p.m., TBS
Game 1 starters
Cubs: Jon Lester (11-12, 3.34 ERA); Cardinals: John Lackey (13-10, 2.77 ERA).
LINEMAKERS: Lester-Lackey matchup a toss-up
Story lines
Can the Cubs keep the magic going?
They have won nine games in a row after their 4-0 shutout of the Pirates in the NL wild-card game Wednesday night. Arrieta continued his excellence by tossing a four-hit, complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts. He has gone four straight starts without allowing a run. Anthony Rizzo (101) and Kris Bryant (99) combined for 200 RBIs during the regular season, but Dexter Fowler and rookie Kyle Schwarber stole the show against Pittsburgh by bashing home runs. The Cubs suddenly have one of the deepest lineups in baseball, with the likes of Austin Jackson coming off the bench, and each of the eight position players presenting a different challenge at the plate every game.
Who will step up for the Cardinals?
St. Louis finished the regular season without one full-time starter batting better than .300. Rookie Stephen Piscotty hit .305 in 63 games, but Jason Heyward led the opening day starters with a .293 average and 23 stolen bases. Third baseman Matt Carpenter hit .272/.365/.505 with 28 home runs and 84 RBIs despite struggling in June and July. Veterans Matt Holliday (quad) and Yadier Molina (thumb) have nagging injuries, and younger players including Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk were inconsistent. While there are questions at the plate, the Cardinals have one of baseball's best rotations. Led by Lackey, they had the lowest ERA in MLB during the regular season, so expect a lot of pitchers' duels in this series.
Impact players
Cubs — Dexter Fowler, CF; Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Fowler made a name for himself in Wednesday night's win against the Pirates. The speedy leadoff hitter went 3 for 4 with three runs scored, a solo home run and a stolen base. Fowler racks up a lot of strikeouts (154) and walks (84), which is a bit unorthodox from a leadoff hitter, but his ability to get on base and score runs could prove the difference in the series. Rizzo led the team in home runs (31), RBIs (101) and on-base percentage (.387) during the regular season. He's just 26 but plays with poise above his years. He's the team's star and a role model for the Cubs' recently promoted players.
Cardinals — Matt Carpenter, 3B; Michael Wacha, SP
Carpenter had 15 multi-hit games in April, followed by a solid May. As the calendar turned to June, however, Carpenter began to struggle. He hit .190 in the month, then hit .235 in July. He slowly started to find his groove in August, batting .255, before returning to his early-season form in September.
Wacha was excellent the first half of the season but stumbled down the stretch, finishing the regular season with a 2-4 record in his last six starts while allowing 27 earned runs in 28 innings in that span. Things will get better for him in the playoffs, though, right? Not so fast. Wacha drew the short straw in having to square off against Jake Arrieta in Game 3 at Chicago. He has the ability to win that game, though, and if he does, it could be the turning point in the series.
Numbers to watch
— The Cubs are 42-18 since Aug. 1, making them the hottest team in baseball right now.
— The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 15-16 since the start of September.
— The Cubs are almost as good on the road (48-33) as they are at home (49-32), so playing on the road shouldn't be as much of a problem for them as for other teams in the postseason.
— The Cardinals were 55-26 at home and matched the Cubs' home record while away from Busch Stadium.
— The Cardinals won the season series 11-8.
Series prediction
Cardinals in five. This series will go down to the wire. Game 1 could be huge for the Cubs, though. If Lester can beat Lackey in a matchup of playoff veterans, Chicago will get a lift for the rest of the series. We like Lackey to get it done at home, however.