Cubs vs Cardinals Preview: Week 62 Showdown Under the Sun

The Cubs just showed up in St. Louis with serious firepower. They demolished the Cardinals 6-1 yesterday, with Kyle Crow-Armstrong launching a massive 444-foot homer in the eighth inning that lit up the scoreboard. Ian Happ cranked a 407-foot two-run shot earlier in the game. Chicago's bats are waking up at exactly the right moment. The Cubs sit at 32-27 overall, coming off a win that proves they can battle in this division. Jordan Wicks takes the mound Sunday looking to keep this hot streak rolling. St. Louis struggled all game yesterday, and the Cubs smell blood in the water.

St. Louis got completely shut down yesterday and now trails 1-0 in this series. The Cardinals mustered only one run against Chicago's pitching, getting outscored badly when they needed answers most. Matthew Liberatore starts Sunday and has to be sharp from pitch one. The Cardinals are 30-26 on the season, struggling just like the Cubs lately. Both teams have won only three of their last ten games, so neither squad is playing perfect baseball right now. St. Louis wants to even this series and prove yesterday was just a bad day. Liberatore needs to lock in and keep Chicago's bats off balance.

Wicks versus Liberatore shapes up as a classic young-gun matchup. Both hurlers need to prove they can dominate in big moments when the division race tightens. The Cubs' rotation has taken hits with injuries to Cade Horton and Edward Cabrera recently. Chicago leans on veteran arms like Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd to stay competitive. St. Louis built their whole staff around development—Liberatore and Dustin May carry that torch. Whoever controls the strike zone and keeps runners off base wins this battle. One mistake pitch could shift the game's momentum instantly. You'll see two hungry young arms fighting to deliver something special Sunday.