The Cubs (48-33) won the final two games of their series in St. Louis to earn a split with the rival Cardinals. Chicago pitchers threw a pair of shutouts in those victories after a string of poor performances the previous six games. Now they head down south for a three-game set with their offseason trading partners.
The Astros (48-33) started out slow per usual, but really turned it on in May and haven’t looked back, moving comfortably on top of the American League West. Offensively, they sit in the middle of the pack with a .720 team OPS that ranks 13th in MLB.