The Cardinals begin a three-day, four-game home series Friday against the Cubs. First pitch is 7:15 p.m.
The game airs exclusively on Apple TV+.
St. Louis starts right-hander Sonny Gray (9-5, 3.30).
Gray gave up five runs in five innings at Washington in his last appearance.
The Cubs will counter with noted Cardinals killer Kyle Hendricks (1-7, 7.53), a right-hander.
Hendricks didn't allow a run in 4 1/3 innings against St. Louis last month in Chicago.
He has a 2.62 career ERA vs. the Cardinals, his best vs. any opponent he's faced 15 or more times, but he's struggled mightily this season.
Hendricks left his last start early with back tightness.
The Cardinals are 48-44, second in the NL Central and five games out of first. St. Louis is coming off losing both games of a doubleheader to Kansas City on Wednesday.
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Before the game, St. Louis activated catcher Ivan Herrera from the injured list and optioned him to Memphis.
The Cubs are 45-49, tied for last in the NL Central and four games behind St. Louis. Chicago has won four straight and six of seven. The Cubs swept three games at Baltimore before heading here.
St. Louis has won four of five against the Cubs this year, but the Cardinals have a slim 17-15 overall run differential in those games.
The Cardinals will miss Chicago's two best starting pitchers, Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga. Cody Bellinger, Chicago's hits leader, will also miss the series with a fractured finger.
Lineups
CARDINALS
1. Masyn Winn, SS
2. Alec Burleson, DH
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
5. Brendan Donovan, LF
6. Nolan Arenado, 3B
7. Lars Nootbaar, RF
8. Nolan Gorman, 2B
9. Michael Siani, CF
P: Sonny Gray, RHP
CUBS
1. Nico Hoerner, 2B
2. Michael Busch, 1B
3. Seiya Suzuki, RF
4. Ian Happ, LF
5. Christopher Morel, DH
6. Dansby Swanson, SS
7. Miles Mastrobuoni, 3B
8. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
9. Miguel Amaya, C
P: Kyle Hendricks, RHP
Injury report
Tommy Edman (wrist surgery): Returned to the Class AA Springfield lineup Thursday after being a late scratch the day before due to general soreness. He will resume his rehab assignment with the minor-league affiliate and see a steady increase of innings played and time in the field. His initial appearances have been at designated hitter, though in the coming days of his rehab assignment he'll see starts in center field and either middle infield position. Edman has not yet appeared in the majors this season due to offseason wrist surgery, and internally the Cardinals have been targeting a return after the All-Star break. Updated July 12
Riley O'Brien (flexor tendon): Reliever will return to Class AA Springfield to throw a live batting practice session against hitters there Sunday. He will aim for 20-25 pitches. This will be his third live BP session after initially planning on one or two before beginning a rehab assignment. The reason for the repetition is to increase the intensity of his live BP before leaping into a game. He saw a spike in velocity in his second live BP. O'Brien was slated to pitch for Double-A Springfield on June 18, however he had trouble bouncing back from his last outing. O'Brien was sent for an MRI, which came back clean. Updated July 12
Steven Matz (lower back stiffness): Matz continues to play catch back in St. Louis after receiving clearance to being throwing. That program will continue through the All-Star break, and the lefty had said he's feeling better. Matz experienced a setback in his rehab process that prevented him from throwing for two weeks. He is still several weeks away from any conversation about a rehab assignment and starts in minor-league games. He experienced lingering soreness the morning following a June rehab outing, leading to a lengthy setback. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the best-case scenario is a four-to-six week recovery time for Matz. Updated July 12