CHICAGO — The first-place Cubs get an early look at National League Central Division rival St. Louis in a three-game series opening on Monday.
But ex-Cardinal and new Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward is taking a decidedly low-key approach to the mid-April showdown.
“We’re playing one of the best teams in the game and the bottom line is you have to go in there and play your ‘A’ game,” said Heyward, who sat out Saturday but was back in the starting lineup for Sunday’s series finale against Colorado. “Whoever doesn’t make a lot of mistakes is going to win the series.
“But it’s just one series out of many that we’re going to get to play.”
Heyward was batting .205 with no home runs through Sunday’s game.
The Cubs and Cardinals top the NL in at least two offensive categories. St. Louis is No. 1 in runs per game (7.36 average) while the Cubs are next at 6.45. Chicago is best in run differential (plus 42) while St. Louis is second (plus 34).
The Cardinals have won the last three division titles and a 2013 NL pennant. But the Cubs, long division doormats, are now challenging their longtime rivals for dominance.
St. Louis won the NL Central in 2015 with a 100-62 record while Chicago was third at 97-65. But the Cubs went on to beat the Cardinals 3-1 in the NL Divisional Series.
The Cubs send ex-Cardinals right-hander John Lackey against his old teammates in Monday’s opener. Lackey was 13-10 with a career-best 2.77 ERA last year, his second of two St. Louis seasons.
Lackey is 2-0 with a 5.68 ERA in two starts this spring.
The teams won’t meet again until another three-game series starting May 23 in St. Louis. The Cardinals won make their first Chicago appearance until late June.